Burning Bridges
by aeon fear
Summary: When an accident leaves Morinaga Tetsuhiro gravely injured, Tatsumi Souichi is prepared to do everything to help him-but what if it would require more than he's willing to give?
1. Telling Thursday

A/N: Well, hello there, my lovelies. I am aeon fear, resident lunatic. Somewhere in the corner of my mind I decided that I was just sane enough to try my hand at writing a Tyrant fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It's aaaaaaaaaalllll in my imagination.

* * *

~Telling Thursday~

Tatsumi Souichi would never admit it, but the apartment felt different without Morinaga around. The unoccupied corners seem darker and colder, the noises seemed too loud. Which was surprising, considering that Souichi always scolded Morinaga whenever he (they) got too rowdy.

The food tasted different, too. Souichi never learned how to cook, with two younger siblings to do the job for him during his own school days. Now there was Morinaga. Morinaga always left him food whenever Morinaga thought he would be out working late, but when Souichi ate alone, he found himself wishing that Morinaga was there to eat with him.

"Damn him," Souichi muttered now. He was sitting in front of their TV, flipping through the channels as he waited for Morinaga to come home. The idiot told him that he would be late, but not late enough to miss dinner.

"See what you're making me do," Souichi added for a good measure. He was waiting for Morinaga like a…like a…

Like a wife waiting for her husband to come home.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Souichi blushed-for he realized the accuracy of the description.

Well, he would be damned if he would be the "wife" in this relationship. Because they did have a relationship, Souichi could admit it now. No matter how they got here, no matter how much he protested, Morianga and Souichi were sharing something more than a typical friendship.

"Come home already, moron!" he yelled into the empty house.

As if God had heard his command, there was the sound of the door opening. Souichi straightened, startled, when Morinaga poked his head into the room.

"Senpai? What are you yelling about?"

"I-you're-" Souichi stuttered, still surprised that Morinaga had appeared right after he'd yelled. "I'm hungry, idiot," he said in a lame attempt to save face.

"Oh, I knew it. Good thing I brought take out, since I'm also hungry-I don't think I can wait for food to cook," Morinaga said with a smile, holding up a large paper bag. "I hope you don't mind Chinese food. My co-worker recommended it. Can you help set the table while I change?"

Souichi nodded. Ten minutes later, they were tucking into bowls of spicy noodles and trays of dim sum.

"You're right," Souichi said. "This is good."

"Yes," Morinaga said. "But this is my first time to eat it."

"How did you know it was good, then?"

"I told you," Morinaga said patiently, "My co-worker told me about the place. And since you can't come to the office, I brought the food to you. It's almost like a date, isn't it?"

"Q-Quit saying things like d-d-dates!" Soiuchi flared up.

Morinaga only smiled, too used to Soiuchi's exclamations to care much.

"By the way, senpai," Morinaga continued after a short pause, "I'll be quite late tomorrow."

"What, again?"

"Are you going to miss me, senpai?" teased Morinaga.

"No, it's not that…it's just..."

"They're going to have a welcome party for me," Morinaga explained. "I'll try to be back before midnight."

"Fine," Souichi agreed, trying not to sound too sulky. But he knew what would happen when Morinaga was away. "Try not to get drunk."

"I won't," Morinaga laughed. "I can hold my liquor better than you ever could, senpai."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Souichi had an early dinner the next night. He'd brought a stack of reports with him, intent on finishing them by midnight. Work had piled up because none of the assistants who replaced Morinaga were as efficient. It almost made him want Morinaga to come back.

However, he also knew that Morinaga was happy at his current job. That, more than anything else, made Souichi keep his silence.

Midnight came and went without so much as a phone call from Morinaga. The idiot was probably drunk, despite Souichi's warning.

Souichi snapped his phone shut, irritated. He would go to sleep, he decided.

At 12:30 his phone beeped. Morinaga messaged him to say that he would be home in half an hour. Souichi thought that he might as well wait up for him-what was half an hour, after all? He sat down on their couch.

The next thing he knew, sunlight was filtering through the windows. It already morning and Morinaga still hadn't come-he knew, because he checked Morinaga's room.

Where was he?

There were no new messages from Morinaga. Souichi prepared for the laboratory with half his mind still adrift. Morinaga was probably sleeping over at a co-worker's house and forgot to tell him…

Wait-did that mean that Morinaga was out there cheating on him? Souichi instantly accepted this solution, since Morinaga was a pervert who was uncontrollable with alcohol. He pulled out his phone and dialled Morinaga's number. He was going to give that pervert a piece of his mind.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" said a female voice. A stranger.

His worst fears were confirmed. That lying, cheating, pervert! He just had to let his lower half loose, did he?!

"Who the hell is this? Get me Morinaga!"

There was a long pause. "Who is this?" the female finally answered.

"I'm the one asking the f*cking question," snarled Souichi. "Where is Morinaga?"

"He's at Nagoya General Hospital."

"W…What?" Souichi breathed.

"I'm a nurse at the hospital. Last night, the car Morinaga-san was riding in crashed."

Car crash…

No way.

Not Morinaga.

Souichi's head was filling with a kind of buzzing sound that made it hard to think. But last night he…Morinaga…

He said that he would be home by midnight…

"This is a joke, right? It isn't funny anymore, so put him on the phone."

"I think you should come up here," the nurse said quietly.

the tone of her voice, more than anything else, made him start to believe.

"Is he…" he choked, unwilling to speculate.

"He's not dead. Yet."

* * *

A/N: Isogai is holding the next chapter hostage. Any complaints about delays should be deferred to him. Or, alternatively, you can clicky the little button to review. More reviews would delay world domination by the cookie monsters.


	2. Watch, Worry and Wish

A/N: I'm sorry I took so long. Those who did not review unfortunately unleashed a wave of cookie monsters who fought a terrifying battle with the dust bunnies under my bed. I had to go and save the dust bunnies, of course.

Disclaimer: Still not mine. This is Takanaga Hinako-sensei's. Unfortunately I do not gain any profit from this work, unless you count driving those who wait for this crazy.

* * *

Watch, Worry, Wish

He forgot his coat and his socks-he only realized it when he was on the taxi, halfway to the hospital. It occurred to him that he hadn't even asked the nurse what room number Morinaga was in.

The phone was in his hand. Should he call? What if they asked who he was? Would they give information to someone who wasn't Morinaga's relative? He wasn't sure how hospitals worked.

He realized that he was shaking, and tried to stop. He certainly couldn't go to pieces now; they _really_ wouldn't let him in if he looked he was going into hysterics. But there was so much that he didn't know! How could he calm down?

_Stop it!_ He screamed at himself. Morinaga would be fine, he...he probably just broke a wrist or something. He probably wasn't even unconscious. Morinaga would greet him with an apologetic smile, and he'd be lucky if Souichi didn't actually _add_ to his injuries. Souichi was going to kick his arse into the next week for worrying him like this.

There was a part of his subconscious that recognized the tone of the nurse's voice when she asked him to come. The nurse pitied him for some reason.

What kind of injuries did a person have to have to a nurse to pity him?

And what did the nurse mean- he wasn't dead yet?

Did that mean that Morinaga was already…

Perhaps he would have been driven insane by his thoughts had the taxi not stopped at that moment. Souichi practically threw the cab fare at the driver, then shot out the door.

He barreled straight to the nurse's station and gasped, "Morinaga Tetsuhiro was brought in last night-where is he?"

"May I ask who-?" began the timid-looking nurse.

"Tatsumi Souichi. I'm his senpai, and…" he swallowed a lump in his throat, "…his room mate. His family is in Fukuoka so I'm taking care of him."

This was a little white lie, since it was usually Morinaga who took care of him. But he would rather suffer lead poisoning than hand Morinaga over to the parents who abandoned him.

"Please sign here," said the nurse, pushing a clipboard at him. What exactly was she making him sign when Morinaga could be in serious trouble?

Souichi stared down at the clipboard. It was headed "ICU visitors", with today's date on it.

"He's in the ICU?"

She clicked a few keys on the computer. "Yes. I'm not sure what happened, you'd have to talk to Dr. Uzuki-that's his doctor."

His mind seemed to be working in stuttering starts and stops. A minute ago he had been certain that Morinaga was fine, and the next Souichi was hearing that Morinaga was in the ICU.

"Where's his doctor, then?" he asked as he automatically filled in the little bank space in the clipboard.

"He'll be making his rounds. He's visiting his patients at least once every half an hour."

Souichi nodded, trying to look like he was calm. His heart was doing a painful drum roll in his chest.

_Morinaga, what the hell happened to you?_

* * *

Souichi took one look at the ICU and knew that he was going to hate it.

It was situated in a windowless hallway, two neat rows of rooms. The doors had little windows in them, and beside the doors were little plastic name tags of the patients.

Morinaga was in the room second to the left. To his surprise, there was already a knot of people there. One girl had her arm in a sling. Another guy had his head and wrist bandaged. They looked like Morinaga's co-workers. Two others were with them, foreheads creased, talking quietly.

They looked around as Souichi approached.

"Are you here for Morinaga-kun?" said the girl.

He only nodded. "What happened?"

"Oh thank goodness!" the girl said in relief, ignoring Souichi's question. "We didn't know who to contact-he never talks about his family. Are you his brother?"

"No, I'm his room mate. What happened? Were you with him?"

"We both were," said the guy with the head bandage. "We were giving Morinaga-kun a welcome party. Around midnight Morinaga said that he needed to get home, so we broke the party up. Some of us went home, too. There were five of us- Ishida, Kirigaya, Suzuki-san-" he pointed to the girl, "me, Nagae, including Morinaga-kun. Kirigaya offered to drop us off, he had a car."

"We didn't realize…that he was already drunk," whispered Suzuki-san. "He didn't slur or stagger or anything. He seemed so sober. So we got into his car.

"Kirigaya was driving, and Morinaga-kun was sitting up front. Us three were talking in the back. Then Ishida was suddenly yelling at Kirigaya, he had just ignored a stop sign. We thought they were just fooling around. But then Kirigaya did it again. He kept laughing like it was a game or something. I thought my heart was going to stop, by that time everyone was yelling at him to pull over and let someone else drive. Then I heard this loud noise…when I woke up, we were here," Suzuki-san finished.

"Where's this Kirigaya guy?" Souichi asked.

"He's dead," Nagae-san said flatly.

Souichi flinched. "And Morinaga?"

"He hit his head pretty hard," said a new voice behind him. They turned to see a blond-haired doctor walking up to them. "He broke his arm in three places-I think he was trying to stop hitting the dashboard. Most of the ribs on the right side of his body are cracked as well, but fortunately none of them pierced his lungs. His jaw was dislocated; we've done work on that too. He doesn't have any serious injuries to his internal organs. A little bruising but he'll recover…on that count at least."

"You're Dr. Uzuki?" Souichi said sharply. The clinical diagnosis hurt-hearing each of Morinaga's injuries was like being pierced over and over again with a stiletto. The sensei looked like a little boy-he was shorter that Souichi, with a small face and hands. But Dr. Uzuki's voice, when he spoke, was honestly concerned.

"Yes. He's officially listed as being in a coma right now, which is procedure for people who have received head trauma like this and are unconscious for a period of more than eight hours. But he could be much worse. It's a good thing that the ambulance came there early-someone was already calling them when they saw the car running through the red lights," Dr. Uzuki explained.

"Will he be okay?" Nagae asked, his voice trembling.

"Physically, I think so. It's his head injuries I'm worried about. Until he wakes up, I'm not sure what to expect."

"But he'll wake up?" Souichi demanded desperately.

Dr. Uzuki looked at each of them in turn. "I wish I could say yes, but it's not fair to give you that kind of answer," he replied quietly. "We don't know. Studies of patients in comas…well, they're not exactly extensive. Comas can last days or weeks, maybe months. His vital signs are weak, but steady."

Souichi stumbled to a bench, dropping his head into his hands. He didn't think he could hear any more.

"You are…Tatsumi Souichi-san, correct?" Dr. Uzuki inquired.

He nodded, too numb to speak.

"Since his family is in Fukuoka, can you fill out some forms for us? Do you know anything about his medical history?"

It took Souichi a few seconds to realize that the doctor was waiting for his answer. "No, no I- I don't know anything about it," he whispered. "If I have his cellphone, I can call his older brother. I don't have his number."

"How about his parents?" probed Dr. Uzuki.

Souichi hesitated. Should he say the truth? Would his parents even care that-

But surely, there would be no parents on earth cold-hearted enough not to care if their son is in a coma?

"I don't know," Souichi managed at last. "His brother is nearer."

"I'll ask a nurse to release his belongings to you, then," said Dr. Uzuki. "In the meantime, do you want to see him? These others already have."

Souichi didn't think that he could stand seeing Morinaga like that, but he stood up and nodded again.

Dr. Uzuki simply pushed open the door for him. "Tatsumi-san," the doctor said, "A lot of coma patients can still hear. I'm not sure if Morinaga-san can, at this point, but please do be careful what you say around him."

That warning woke Souichi up from his daze a little. "I will," he promised.

The gathered what was left of his courage to lift his head and look at Morinaga.

* * *

It was strange to see him lying so still. Morinaga was always moving-cooking, cleaning, following Souichi around like a damn puppy. But now, his eyes were closed and he had an oxygen mask over half his face. Was he not getting enough air on his own?

His head and face were bandaged. Most of his lower body was covered in a blanket, which was a relief, because the injuries that Souichi _could_ see was almost enough to make his knees turn to water. Tubes were dangling from bags by the bed, some connected to machines that beeped and hummed. The sound was regular, and somehow soothing. It meant that Morinaga was, at least partly, still there.

Souichi came closer, and now he could hear the slight rasping noise Morinaga was making as he breathed. If Souichi pretended, if he closed his eyes, he could almost believe that Morinaga was only asleep-though Morinaga never snored. Souichi was briefly amused by the thought, before his feelings caught up with him again.

He didn't know how long he stood there, gazing at Morinaga's face. It was as if he believed that the intensity of his stare would somehow break his kouhai's coma. But the minutes passed, and the machines continued their inane humming.

Finally he spoke.

"Morinaga-" he began, his voice breaking at the last syllable. "Morinaga-"

He could still hear, couldn't he? So of course what he said was this:

"You stupid asshole," he said thickly, holding back the hotness behind his lids. The words were angry but his tone was not. "How can you go and be injured like this? Couldn't you have seen that he was f*cking drunk? You'll upset everyone…Kanako will be heartbroken to hear of this. You…you have to wake up. Wake up. Just wake up. You can't-you have to-you _idiot…_"

It was no good; he had to get out before he broke down completely. Morinaga shouldn't look like this. Nothing like this should ever happen to someone like him. Hadn't he suffered enough at the hands of his family?

In the past, whenever Morinaga was upset, Souichi could just reach out and comfort him. Not that he was any good at it, but Morinaga was easy to comfort. Just a touch or a hug would do. Indeed, Morinaga asked very little of him-so little that he only grudgingly gave.

But now…he didn't know where he could touch the younger man without possibly hurting him.

"Damn it, you idiot…" he repeated.

Just one last thing he needed to say…

"I'll be waiting."

* * *

Thank you for those who reviewed. You may not have been there in body, but in spirit you fought the cookie monsters with me. I'm so very glad that you left me your comments.

_**DororoXPenana**_: ah, unfortunately, I have a special fondness for leaving my readers with cliffhangers, (though you could probably guess from this chapter and the previous one.) Thanks for your encouragement!

_**Guest1**_: I apologize for Souichi being OOC...I timed this "plot" for the end of the manga, when Souichi had more or less accepted their relationship. I hope he's better this chapter. Thanks for your review!

_**Guest2**_: I love snaps! I actually like Souichi a lot more than Morinaga (often, anyway), since sometimes I think Morinaga doesn't have too much course he's still adorable and cool...most of this story's going to be Souichi's point of view...

_**Tyasia T**_: I was waiting for Hailey's comet, which would announce the death of all basilisks. It had just arrived last night, so here is the next chapter!

_**Guest3:** _hm, I'm not sure if you'll still call it cute after this chapter, since li'l Morinaga is injured...thanks for your review!

Special thanks to those who favorited (you amaze me...making it a favorite after only one chapter...) and those who are following (here is your next chapter!)

Please do leave a review. If you don't, a black hole will come, swallow your feet in your sleep, and spit them out somewhere near Neptune. Try and leave a name too- Guest 1, 2, 3 sound much too anonymous. I may be crazy, but I generally don't bite my reviewers.

Hope you enjoyed, my lovelies. Till the next round.


	3. Come the Cavalry

A/N: I'm so sorry! I just came back from a trip to Neptune, where I counted the feet of all those who did not review the last time. There were a lot of them, so I suppose by now there are many who couldn't use their shoes anymore.

Disclaimer: This was not done for profit, because this is not miiiiiiiiiiiine. Ah, and this fic is manga-centric (as a matter of fact I've never seen the anime), so some of you might not know who two of the characters in this chapter are.I'm not sure because from what I know of the anime, there's not much on Morinaga's background. Here's a short explanation-I hope that it's accurate.

Morinaga Kunihiro is Tetsuhiro (the Morinaga that we know)'s older brother. He was married but recently divorced. He's against homosexuality, though he's less vocal about it than Souichi ever was. He caught Tetsuhiro and his best friend in a relationship, leading to Masaki's attempted suicide and Morinaga's exile. He used to be unable to accept his brother's homosexuality until he met Souichi. For details on exactly what hapened, read the manga.

Masaki Junya is Kunihiro's best friend. He fell in love with Kunihiro but kept it from him, believing (quite accurately, actually) that it would ruin their friendship. He accepted Tetsuhiro as a boyfriend for reasons I don't want to speculate on-but I do believe that he loved Tetsuhiro at some point. However, when they got caught-by Kunihiro none the less- he became so depressed that he tried to commit suicide. He survived but Morinaga was thrown out by his family (The Morinaga family thought it was all Tetsuhiro's fault). This was reasonably resolved by the manga. I'm not telling you how, either, so read the manga.

You know what was hardest in writing this chapter? I had to keep on writing Morinaga's real name (because there are two Morinagas in this chapter.)

* * *

Masaki Junya had thought he moved on.

He had honestly tried to forget about Morinaga Kunihiro-he'd moved out and took a job. In as far as he was concerned, Kunihiro was the one who taught him-quite brutally, it was true-that homosexuals should not fall for straight men. It wasn't Masaki's fault that Kunihiro decided to come looking for him again.

But Tetsuhiro was another matter.

That child had loved him sincerely, and Masaki rejected him in the worst possible way. Even now he found it difficult to look at Tetsuhiro in the face, especially into those eyes that held nothing but affection for him. It was complicated-he wanted to be there for Tetsuhiro but knew that being there might only make things worse. Just as Masaki was trying to forget Kunihiro, it would be best if Tetsuhiro forgot about Masaki. It would be easier for both of them to be happy that way. To move on.

He'd warded off Kunihiro's advances-made it clear that he was wary of him. Still, it didn't stop Kunihiro from dropping by the bar at least twice a week. It drove Masaki crazy. He didn't want to hope anymore but Kunihiro kept throwing him for a loop. The man had gotten a divorce, but here he was. Masaki wondered if he should change jobs, of that would be considered running away again.

Kunihiro knew better than to engage him in conversation, though. Usually he just sat there thoughtfully, a half-finished drink in hand, before leaving. In this way, Masaki slowly got used to having him around again.

So when Kunihiro entered the bar late Friday night, Masaki assumed that it was for his dose of alcohol. Masaki was taken aback when Kunihiro walked straight to him, and then dropped heavily onto a stool.

"Tetsuhiro's been in an accident," Kunihiro said bluntly, without so much as a preliminary hello.

"What?!"

"A car accident," Kunihiro went on. "I'm going to Nagoya in an hour. Would you like to come with me?"

"What do you mean, an accident? How?"

"The hospital there contacted me. They said he got in a car with a drunk driver." Kunihiro's voice was tight, a testament to his control. "Are you going to come with me?"

"Is he all right?" Masaki said in alarm. "When was this?"

"Just last night. The doctor said…he said that he'll explain everything once I arrive. He told me that…"

"That?" demanded Masaki.

"That he's in a coma," finished Kunihiro.

Masaki's hands tightened on the glass he was holding, and began to shake. Kunihiro watched the glass trembling in Masaki's grip. Masaki set the glass down carefully and disappeared into a back door.

Ten minutes later, they were in a taxi, on the way to Masaki's apartment. His boss had given him the rest of the weekend for his leave. The boss had even given him the rest of the shift off.

They were going to his apartment so that Masaki could pack a few necessities. So far neither of them had said a word after Masaki found out that Tetsuhiro was in a coma.

People snap out of comas don't they? Masaki did-and at that point in time he didn't really want to live. Tetsuhiro- he had to wake up. He had so much to live for. Hadn't he just started at that big pharmaceutical company?

But what if it took Tetsuhiro a year?

If that was the case, Masaki would wait. Wait for him to recover. Masaki would wait until he could finally repeat the words that Tetsuhiro told him when he first got back: for the time when he could say, "I'm so glad you're all right, Tetsuhiro."

* * *

They arrived at Nagoya at one in the morning.

"Sorry," Kunihiro said, peering around at the deserted train station. "I was so focused on getting here that I forgot about the time."

"Well, we can't go into the hospital now," Masaki replied. "Is there a hotel nearby?"

Kunihiro nodded. "We'll go to the one I was staying in the last time."

Swiftly, methodically, they hailed a taxi and booked twin rooms at a hotel. They agreed to visit Tetsuhiro first thing in the morning. Visiting hours started at eight, so each of them retreated to their own rooms to rest for the night.

But in the privacy of his own room, Masaki simply turned off the lights, shed his shoes and his jacket, and sat down on his bed. He didn't think he could sleep. Tetsuhiro's face kept flashing in his mind.

He had to survive. He would survive. Tetsuhiro was strong-stronger than him, stronger than Kunihiro. Strong enough to love people and to forgive them when they let him down. He was intelligent and kind.

But neither intelligence nor kindness had ever been a guarantee of safety, was it?

Masaki wished fervently that it had been him who had gotten into that accident instead. He would deserve it.

Tetsuhiro, who was so good at taking care of people-the only thing that Masaki could do was return the favour.

Come to think about it, who was taking care of him now? He did have a lover, didn't he? It wasn't like Tetsuhiro was all alone in Nagoya.

But from the small amount of time that he'd spent with Tatsumi Souichi, Masaki couldn't say that he was a very caring man. Quite the contrary. Souichi generally treated Tetsuhiro like a servant.

_Now_ Masaki was really worried. What if Tetsuhiro was still not awake when they leave? Who would watch over him?

Maybe he should give his boss a call and ask for more time…

Wait, he didn't know how much time _Kunihiro_ was allowed here. Kunihiro wasn't the ideal caretaker, but Masaki thought him a better choice than Souichi.

He got up quietly, intending to ask Kunihiro how long his break from work was. He was already halfway to his room when he remembered that it was two in the morning, and Kunihiro was probably asleep.

Well, it wasn't as if the question couldn't wait until tomorrow. He would just have to-

Wait.

There was a light underneath Kunihiro's door. It looked like Masaki wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep tonight.

Masaki could hardly blame him- Tetsuhiro was Kunihiro's brother after all. His only brother. And for so long, they weren't speaking to each other. Now there was the possibility that he might lose him.

Had Kunihiro even told their parents about Tetsuhiro? Come to think of it, why did Kunihiro ask Masaki to accompany him-and not their parents?

Masaki had the feeling that he wouldn't like the answer. He had a brief vision of storming over to the Morinaga house and yelling up a riot. His fists clenched. It wasn't fair that Tetsuhiro kept on having to pay for that day, more than five years ago. _It wasn't his fault. _

Masaki returned to his room and threw himself onto his bed. He covered his eyes with his arm, as if trying to escape the self-loathing he felt.

* * *

Kunihiro was glad Masaki was here.

As long as Masaki was there, Kunihiro could keep himself together. He could control the fear that Tetsuhiro would not survive. When Kunihiro looked at Masaki, he thought: _it's possible._ Masaki was in a coma for a long time, but he woke up.

As long as he was here, he had someone to be strong for. Kunihiro knew that Masaki was worried sick about Tetsuhiro; he had to play the anchor. The role was as much for Masaki as for himself.

And as long as Masaki was beside him, he could try and forget about their parents' reaction to Tetsuhiro's condition.

He had received the call that afternoon. A man who had introduced himself as Dr. Uzuki had told him that Tetsuhiro was in Nagoya General Hospital because of a car accident. Kunihiro remembered asking if he was joking.

But he was not. wanted him or his parents in Nagoya right away. His little brother's roommate was there, but he didn't know anything about Tetsuhiro's medical history, and anyway Tatsumi-san seemed to be in shock.

Kunihiro had asked for details, but all that Dr. Uzuki would say was that Tetsuhiro got into a car with a drunk driver and was in a coma. No, he couldn't tell him how bad it was, because hospital protocol dictated that news like that should be delivered face to face.

Kunihiro had gone home to their parents. He knew that they had banished Tetsuhiro but he couldn't imagine that they wouldn't care.

He was stunned to find out that he was almost wrong.

* * *

"_But…he needs us!" Kunihiro argued. _

"_That's why you'll be there," said their father, shoving a sheaf of papers at him. "Here are the papers about his medical history-"_

"_I don't believe this," sputtered Kunihiro. "You're not going?!"_

_Their mother fluttered around anxiously. "Dear, that's not it. He hasn't spoken to us in a long time; he might not recover if we go there."_

"_We know he's angry at us," added their father. _

"_You're the ones who are angry at him!" _

_At that they fell silent, looking ashamed. Kunihiro was disgusted. It was precisely that-they were embarrassed of Tetsuhiro. Not angry, but embarrassed. They were thinking about what they would do if they were identified as a gay's parents…At a time like this! What kind of parents did he have? Were they like this all along?_

_Was being a homosexual such a bad thing?_

_Kunihiro's eyes felt full. Unlike his mother and Tetsuhiro, he didn't cry when he was sad. He cried when he was angry. And right now he was so angry at the pair of them that if he didn't get out soon, he would simply burst. His chest felt very warm, almost hot._

"_I never knew that you were so cold-hearted," he spat out. "Don't you care if even dies?"_

_His mother flinched. Now it looked like she was ready to cry too. _

_Kunihiro turned and nearly ran for the front door. All of a sudden he wished he had the option of running away from them too. Better to abandon them before they abandoned you. _

"_Kunihiro!" his father shouted. _

_He looked back. _

"_If…if he wakes up, then call us. Please," his father pleaded, seeing the murderous look in Kunihiro's eyes. _

"_Why should I?" Kunihiro asked him bitterly. "You'd be glad if he dies, right? Your homosexual son."_

_His father turned white. It was with great satisfaction that Kunihiro closed the door in his face-he wouldn't slam it, though they deserved it._

_He couldn't go through this alone. At this point he was so furious that he wasn't thinking clearly, and would not be thinking straight for hours. He needed someone to go with him. _

_Someone who loved Tetsuhiro, too. _

_Junya._

* * *

Kunihiro knew that he was angry at them for his younger brother's behalf, though he was aware that Tetsuhiro had forgiven them a long time ago. But he couldn't help suspecting that he might have been angry at himself too. A large part of it might have been guilt.

For if not because of Tatsumi Souichi, he would still be ostracizing his brother, wouldn't he?

Then how different was he from their parents, really?

* * *

Inside a spacious apartment in Nagoya, there was another person who couldn't sleep.

Souichi was smoking like a chimney. He was kicked out from the hospital at nine, and Morinaga hadn't even twitched. He didn't get worse, but he also didn't get better.

Souichi felt hungry all of a sudden. He remembered that breakfast was the last meal that he had-he'd forgotten to take lunch.

He got up and shuffled over to their fridge. The leftovers from the Chinese takeout were still there. Had it only been yesterday-no, two days ago?

He heated it in the microwave and nearly caused an accident before he realized that the dinner plate he was using wasn't microwaveable. He hastily replaced it with another.

He didn't even know that they had plates that weren't microwaveable. Morinaga took care of that, too.

Damn it.

He shouldn't have come back in here-should have slept in a hotel or something. This whole place reminded him of his kouhai. Souichi tried to keep Tetsuhiro's smiling face in his mind, but other images kept blocking it: Dr. Uzuki as he told them of Morinaga's injuries, Morinaga's co-workers…and then Morinaga's pale, bruised face.

The apartment smelled like cigarette smoke. He opened a couple of windows to let it out, but he avoided Morinaga's room. Whether this was done on purpose or not, even he couldn't tell. All he knew was that Morinaga hated cigarette smoke and…when he came back he'd…

The microwave dinged, signaling that his food was ready. He took his food out, hesitated, and then ate at the coffee table. Eating at the dinner table without Morinaga seemed wrong. He studiously avoided looking at Morinaga's belongings strewn about the room- his books, his CDs (they had different tastes in music), his movies.

He thought that by now he would feel exhausted, but he wasn't. He felt tired, but in a way that kept him awake instead of lulling him to sleep. He'd been in such a trance in the hospital-ever since he saw Morinaga. Even Dr. Uzuki wouldn't allow him to call Kunihiro, saying that he was only going to make it worse.

But that was another thing, wasn't it? Was Morinaga's family going to come by tomorrow? What was he, Souichi, supposed to do? Could he greet them calmly, knowing that they only came because their son was injured? What would be the consequences of their visit? Would this event be the bridge that will link Morinaga back to his family?

More to the point: how were they going to react? To Morinaga's injury? To Souichi, who was their son's lover?

Perhaps it was no wonder that he couldn't sleep.

That perverted asshole. It was all his fault-how many night of sleep had Souichi lost because of him? And now he was going to force him to confront his family…

Why doesn't he just wake up? It would fix everything.

And for the first time that day, Souichi put his head in his hands and screamed out loud. This, at least, felt a lot more right-a lot more _manly_-than crying.

* * *

A/N: I'll put a lid on my insanity for a moment and talk to you guys seriously.

I honestly wanted to delay the events in this chapter a bit more, perhaps put them in a later chapter- but considering what would happen next, I suppose it couldn't be helped. What I can tell you is that this story won't be too long, perhaps less than ten chapters.

But don't count me on that. I wrote a Loveless fanfic not too long ago, where I said almost the exact same thing, and it took me 12 chapters and 60,000+ words to complete it.

I do have a fondness for cliffhangers, but I am also fond of long chapters. Expect both, my lovelies.

Now, I'm insane again: To my wonderful reviewers, followers, and favorite-rs, thank you! You've cleared this level and kept your nice wonderful ten-toed feet. Have a good dose of BB (I'm calling it that, aeon-copyright!) for the weekend. Ah, but by now you're probably screaming at me to carry on with the story, ne?

_**DororoXPenana**_: The dust bunnies are very happy! Come over to the dark side...we have Souichi here! Thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: Here you go! But you'll probably want the next chapter, ne? thanks for your review!

_**StarlingInTheGarden**_: (I like your name by the by) Feet are good for you! Statistics show that those who have 'em can wear lovely shoes. It reslly encourages me when people say that Souichi wasn't OOC this time. I hopt I was able to keep it up, though there wasn't too much of Souichi in this chapter. Thanks for your review!

_**Morwen**_: Keep following it (if you haven't already), I'm planning to keep it interesting...in so many ways. *laughs * thanks for your review!

_**Tsukiyomi Moto**_: Are you sure that the brownie army won't be eaten by the dust bunnies? (they do that sometimes...XD) Thank you for your support and your review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: Wow! You're one of the authors I read before deciding that I wanted to write a Tyrant fic. (I say author because I'v read practically all your tyrant stories.) You're right when you said that people like this kind of story-which is another of the reasons I chose to write it. (write and right rhymed. Yay!) Yes, as you can see in this chapter, I did address the topic on Morinaga's parents. I think I wanted to know more about them, but they didn't turn out to be the best people in my opinion. I don't know why that happened. I was turning over sevral possible reactions from them and this seemed the most likey. Well, maybe Takanaga-sensei would elaborate on it-proving me wrong (or not) as the case may be. Thanks for your review!

_**badbreaker**_: thanks for pointing that out! I wish I could say you'd get extra feet for doing so, but I suppose that would make buying shoes difficult, so I wrote a chapter instead. Thank you for your review!

**Reviews will make it rain Nutella**. Of course there's the added benefit of having a chapter sooner.

See you next chapter, my lovelies.


	4. Omens

A/N: Yay, a new chapter! I would've posted this sooner but a jar of Nutella hit me on the head while I was walking down the street. I did hope that it would rain Nutella, not a meteor shower. But I suppose beggars can't be choosers, at least I've had my chocolate, ne? If my reviewers have found a bottle of Nutella on their doorstep, that's from me.

Oh, and for the purposes of this chapter, Morinaga refers to Tetsuhiro. Kunihiro would be addressed or referred to by his name.

Yokachin is a song about penises. It's silly and when it's sung at Japanese parties you can be sure that someone's already really drunk. Haha.

Disclaimer: If this were mine, Tyrant would be crazier than Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

_Accidents happen. Like all accidents, Morinaga Tetsuhiro didn't see it coming. _

_The welcome party was getting rowdier. He and around a dozen of his co-workers had reserved a place in the nicer part of the city. They started the party at around seven, and by eleven thirty most of them were tipsy. _

_Oonodera-san and Naruse-san were singing Yokachin in drunken harmony, and the girls of the group-Suzuki-san, Takagi-san, Nakamura-san, and Yoshinaga-san- were laughing at their antics. Nagae-san and Uehara-san were talking quietly-those two didn't seem drunk. Ishida-san was sleeping right beside Akiyoshi-san and Fujikawa-san. Kirigaya-san was on his phone, sending an email. _

_He wasn't drunk, not exactly, but he was feeling-buzzed. Like all his senses were extra sharp. He was keeping his promise to Senpai, and besides-he didn't want to go home blind drunk. Senpai would be angry for sure. Wasn't that the cause of everything-Morinaga being drunk? _

_Morinaga chuckled. No, it was Senpai who was drunk at that time. Maybe Morinaga should bring him along to place like this sometime soon. He would've liked to see Senpai trying to sing yokachin. _

_Speaking of senpai…_

"_I think I should go home now," he said apologetically. _

"_Aw, come on, we don't have work tomorrow," droned Oonodera. "We were trying to get you drunk, Morinaga-kun!"_

"_Yeah, yeah, you were the one who was supposed to sing yokachin!" chimed in Naruse enthusiastically, waving a beer bottle around so that a bit of it splashed on Suzuki. _

"_No, really-I promised my…roommate I'd get home by midnight. He'll get angry if I come in drunk," he explained. _

"_I'll need to go, too," Suzuki said, wiping her beer-stained dress. "I might just end up having a beer bath." She stood up, and Morinaga followed suit. _

_Ishida seemed to wake up at the sudden movement. "Wha? Wha?"_

"_We're leaving, Ishida-san," Morinaga said, laughing. _

"_Oh…Lemme come, too." Ishida got to his feet, nearly tripping over. _

"_Hey that's not fair," Naruse complained. "Who's supposed to pay for all of this?" _

_Takagi, Nakamura, and Uehara pointed at Naruse._

"_No way!" _

_Morinaga laughed again. He laid down some money, to settle his part in the expenses, and Suzuki-san and Ishida did the same. _

_Kirigaya looked up from his phone. "Wait, I can take you in my car. Nagae, you live near me-want to come along?"_

"_Oh, yeah."_

_Kirigaya and Nagae also settled their tab, so they said their goodbyes. From what they heard, the ones who were left planned to sober up by hanging out at a nearby coffee shop. _

_Morinaga sent a quick message to Senpai that he would be coming home soon, though he doubted that Senpai was awake. He realized that he was actually more tired than he realized-socializing was tiring, in its own way. He wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and sleep-preferably all through the next day._

_Ishida seemed awake enough by the time they had climbed into the car, but Kirigaya said that he wasn't risking anyone throwing up in his precious vehicle. Morinaga rode in front, the rest chattering happily in the back. _

_It was past midnight, so less people were on the streets. The roads that Kirigaya was taking seemed deserted. They were dropping him off first since he was nearest. _

_He was nearly asleep when he heard Ishida yell. _

_Morinaga bolted upright, looking around wildly. "What is it?"_

"_Kirigaya, you just ran a red light!" exclaimed Ishida._

"_No, no, I didn't," Kirigaya protested. _

_Morinaga caught Suzuki's eye in the rearview mirror. She looked scared. "Kirigaya-san…"_

_There was a T-intersection up ahead. Kirigaya ran the red light there too. _

"_Stop it, Kirigaya! What are you doing?" Nagae shouted. "Are you drunk?" _

_The car accelerated. Morinaga was glad of his seatbelt, but the motion threw him backward all the same. _

"_Kirigaya, just pull over and let one of us drive!" Ishida said. _

"_I'm not drunk," giggled Kirigaya as he ran his third red light. "I can still drive."_

"_Kirigaya-san, please stop this," Morinaga pleaded. "We're going to get into an accident!"_

_Suzuki-san began to cry. "Kirigaya-please…"_

"_No, no, really, I can," Kirigaya insisted. Morinaga turned cold when realized that Kirigaya wasn't wearing his seatbelt. _

"_Kirigaya-san-" he started. _

"_Watch out!" roared Nagae. _

_There was a roadblock up ahead-a small construction job of some kind, for it only covered half the two-way street. Kirigaya jerked the steering wheel hard to the right. The car jolted as they hit the curb. Kirigaya jerked the steering wheel again, back to the road-then-_

_Morinaga was tipping sideways. He didn't understand. What was happening? _

_Then Suzuki-san screamed, and Morinaga understood instantly that the abrupt shift in the car's direction was forcing the car to topple over. Morinaga's hand shot out, trying to save Kirigaya. The car was going to land on Morinaga's side, and Kirigaya was already falling. _

_A great jolt of pain shot up his right arm. He had time for one last thought- __**Senpai.**_

_Then the darkness took him away to a place where he could not find anything, not even himself. _

* * *

Isogai was looking forward to a day of relaxation. They had just finished a major project, and now that it had been finished, he was going to sleep in…after he'd had a bit of breakfast.

He wondered if he should pay Souichi and Morinaga a visit. It was a sure way to raise Souichi's blood pressure. It was so easy to bait him, especially when Morinaga was concerned.

He hid a grin into his morning cup of coffee. For a lack of anything better to do, he switched on his TV.

It sure was lonely without Kurokawa around, to tease him about Tatsumi Tomoe. He looked at the screen, not really seeing it, until:

"…S Pharmaceutical Company last Friday night. The car was being driven by Kirigaya Hisashi, who was reportedly drunk and died at the scene of the accident. His co-workers Ishida Ryou, Suzuki Rin, and Nagae Akira were brought to the Nagoya General Hospital for injuries. A fourth co-worker, Morinaga Tetsuhiro, remains in critical condition."

Isogai put his coffee cup down, hard. Hot liquid splashed onto his hand, but he barely felt it.

Morinaga? Morinaga _Tetsuhiro_? In critical condition?

Did he hear it right?

Isogai went back to his bedroom and dialled Morinaga Tetsuhiro's number. It rang and rang. Finally a recorded message came on, saying that the number was out of range.

Frowning now, Isogai dialled again-this time Tatsumi Souichi's number. It rang twice, then a dull voice answered: "Hello?"

"Tatsumi-san?"

"Yeah."

Isogai thought that Souichi lacked his usual irascible tone. Certainly, if it had been the normal Souichi, he would've already yelled at Isogai for wasting his time. "I've just watched the news. It said that Morinaga-kun's been in an accident. It's not true, is it?"

There was a long moment of silence, which told Isogai more about the truth before Souichi answered.

"Yeah."

"Is he…I mean-the news only said-"

"He's in the ICU," the voice droned on in a monotone. "In the ICU. In a coma."

"Will he be…"

"The doctor doesn't know."

Isogai sensed Souichi was about to-what? Break down? Yell at him? Whatever it was, Souichi's "go-to-hell" attitude was gone.

"I see. Will it be okay if I visited today?"

"Whatever. Do what you want."

Isogai nodded-not that Souichi could see, it was only out of habit-and then hung up. He stared at his phone for a long time, then dialled a third number.

"Kanako-chan?"

* * *

Masaki and Kunihiro were the first visitors for the day. They met Dr. Uzuki in the reception area, who in turn invited them to a small sitting room.

"You are Morinaga Tetsuhiro's older brother?" Dr. Uzuki inquired, peering at them behind his glasses.

"I am," confirmed Kunihiro. "I'm Morinaga Kunihiro.

"And your parents?"

"They…they're busy," Kunihiro said tightly, his fists clenching. _Busy being prejudiced._

"I see," Dr. Uzuki said. "Well, I've only glanced at Morinaga-kun's medical history, but it doesn't seem that he'd have any previous illnesses that will hinder his recovery. We'd be focused on the here and now. I'd like to thank you for setting aside the time to come here-I know that you don't live in the area."

"He's my family," Kunihiro said. "How did this happen?"

"From what Nagae-san and Suzuki-san told me, they were coming home from a welcome party for Morinaga-kun," Dr. Uzuki began. "Around midnight, Morinaga-kun decided to leave the party. He was accompanied by Kirigaya Hisashi-the driver. There was also Suzuki Rin-san, Nagae Akira-san and Ishida Ryou-san. None of the passengers realized that Kirigaya-san was drunk until he started running red lights. Kirigaya-san tipped the vehicle over when he swerved to avoid a road block. He died on impact. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

"The vehicle landed on Morinaga-kun's side. We think he tried to save himself from a worse fall, because he broke his right arm in three places," Dr. Uzuki said, showing them an x-ray.

Kunihiro felt sick just looking at it. He could hardly believe that this was Tetsuhiro's arm-the picture was of a bone broken once above the elbow and twice below it.

"He was bruised all over from the fragments of the glass," continued Dr. Uzuki. "Though none penetrated his eyes. His left side-the side the car landed on-was bleeding badly when he was brought in, but we managed to stave off excessive blood loss. Three of the ribs on his left side were also cracked, but he was wearing a seatbelt, so his internal organs did not suffer much. His left lung's in place still. His legs are pretty much intact, and it's a miracle in itself that his hip-bones weren't hurt. Yes, there's bruising, but the swelling's expected to go down in a few days. It's the head injury we're worried about."

"He's in a coma, right?" Masaki asked.

"Yes," said Dr. Uzuki sadly. "We don't really know what's happening for sure, not until he wakes up-"

"But he will, right?" interrupted Kunihiro.

"Uhm." For the first time Dr. Uzuki looked uncertain. "You see, he has a hairline fracture in his skull." He showed them a skull x-ray, pointing out a faint, star-shaped crack. "The good news is that it isn't too deep. But it did penetrate the brain a little. We're keeping the swelling down, and it's less every day."

"Can he breathe on his own?" Masaki inquired quietly.

Dr. Uzuki looked at him, slightly surprised. It was an educated question. "Ah, yes-but we've connected him to oxygen because he can't seem to get _enough_ air. His breaths and pulse are steady, but weak. We'll know more when he wakes up."

"Not _if_ he wakes up? _When_ he wakes up?" noted Kunihiro.

At that, Dr. Uzuki smiled. "There is always hope," he told them.

Kunihiro and Masaki exchanged a glance. It was filled with worry and hope, all at once.

"Now, would you like to see him?"

"Yes," Kunihiro said at once.

"Of course. Follow me."

* * *

"I can't believe this," Masaki said, an hour later. "Even now I've seen him…"

Kunihiro nodded. They had just been in to see Tetsuhiro, and he was surprised at how it hurt-literally-to see his little brother strapped to three different machines, unresponsive.

Now they were sitting in the hospital cafeteria, not because they were hungry, but because they didn't think of anything else they could do. They each had a cup of coffee that tasted like liquefied cardboard.

"Kunihiro," Masaki began, in a different tone. Kunihiro looked at him, curiously. "Are your parents not here because…"

Kunihiro briefly considered lying. However, Masaki looked like he'd deck him if he tried.

"I…I guess so. If you mean that they're not here because Tetsuhiro…of what he is, yes."

Masaki looked pained. "I'm sorry, Kunihiro. It's still my fault, isn't it?"

"No," Kunihiro said fiercely, "never. It's their fault. And Tetsu doesn't need people like them."

* * *

"Big brother!"

Souichi jumped at the familiar voice. "K-Kanako?"

He had just arrived at the hospital after making sure that he had all the right articles of clothing-as a consequence, he was rather late. Knowing that Isogai was coming to visit didn't help, either- that was one person he didn't want to see right now.

But the Isogai who waited with Kanako at the waiting room to the ICU didn't look like the normal Isogai. His trademark smirk was gone. Isogai simply nodded to him.

Kanako was talking non-stop. "Nii-san! They wouldn't let me in because they said I was too young! Isogai-san called me…will Tet-chan be all right?"

"Why are you calling him Tet-chan?" Souichi asked, distracted.

"He told me to the night before I left for school. Nii-san, can't we talk to someone? I really want to see him."

Souichi was still shocked at finding his little sister here. Isogai must have driven her here, too. "I don't think you should, Kanako. He…looks pretty…bad."

"Then it's all the more reason I need to see him, right? Dr. Uzuki said that people in comas respond better to treatment if they're surrounded by friends and family members…but he doesn't have any family, does he?"

"Actually," a voice cut in from their right, "He does."

They turned to see Kunihiro and Masaki walking to them. They both looked tired-as if they, like Souichi, had not slept.

Souichi's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

"Because I'm his brother," Kunihiro replied, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh, so now you're concerned about him?" said Souichi acidly.

"Nii-san…" Kanako whispered.

"Look, arguing isn't going to get us anywhere," Kunihiro said flatly, "Nor will it help Tetsuhiro."

He had a point, but just looking at Kunihiro and Masaki made his blood boil. How dare they come in here as if they had a right? The right? After all they'd done to Morinaga…

And to top things off, there was Isogai. Why was that man here? Souichi didn't get it.

"Please, Morinaga-san, I want to see Tet-chan," Kanako pleaded. "Isogai-san's already seen him, but Dr. Uzuki said I'm not allowed because of my age. He'll make an exception if a family member says it's okay, though. Can you?"

Kunihiro focused on her. "And you are?"

"Tatsumi Kanako. I'm Souichi-nii's younger sister."

"Ah. But Kanako-chan, Tetsuhiro's not…"

"I don't care, I still want to see him."

Souichi had entirely forgotten how stubborn Kanako could be when she wanted something. He realized she might have gotten her stubbornness from him. Was that a compliment or an insult?

"All right. Let's just find Dr. Uzuki."

Souichi sat with Isogai while Kanako and Kunihiro talked. "How are you?" Isogai asked him frankly.

"Just fucking peachy." Their presence was doing one thing for him at least- he was gaining focus. If it were him and Morinaga alone, he would have been a wreck. "What do you think?"

Instead of coming up with a snappy retort, Isogai nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. I thought that you would be."

"Why did you call Kanako, you bastard?"

"You're not telling me that you would've told her? She's worried-about both of you. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror since the accident?"

"Oh shut up."

Isogai wasn't letting it go. "I'm serious. Morinaga-kun's already in the hospital, we don't need you to be here too. And how do you think he'll react when he wakes up and sees you like that? The least you can do is take care of yourself so you don't worry him more."

He was starting to hate how sensible Isogai was sounding. "And how do you know for sure that he'll recover?" he retorted.

Isogai stared at him in astonishment. "Souichi," he said softly, "Don't you have any faith in him?"

* * *

Together, Dr. Uzuki and Kunihiro managed to pull enough strings to allow Kanako into Morinaga's room. Kunihiro, who seemed completely taken by Kanako, volunteered to come with her, but Souichi shot him down. Only two visitors were allowed at the ICU at the same time.

Morinaga looked the same as yesterday, although Souichi observed that his bandages looked newer. He could feel Kanako flinch next to him.

"If you want-" he began.

"No," Kanako mumbled. He could see the tears in her eyes. "I'm fine."

They approached the bed slowly. Kanako broke free of Souichi and gazed down at Morinaga. She looked shaken, not at all like she had when she was badgering Souichi a while ago.

Had he looked like this yesterday? He didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew that it was hard on her. She and Morinaga had formed a bond over the time that they had spent together, and in a lot of ways Morinaga acted more like a big brother than Souichi did.

"Morinaga-kun? It's Kanako. Nii-san is here, too, and your brother, Masaki-san and Isogai-san. I… we're all waiting for you to come back, Morinaga-kun. Didn't you say that you were going to visit me at my new school soon? There are a lot of things I'd like to show you there. I'm starting to play soccer, you know." Kanako wiped her tears away. "The coach said I'm good at it. If things go well I can try out for the team next year. So…so you have to be there to see me play okay?"

"You hear that, Morinaga? I'm not going to haul your ass to Kanako's school if you're still here," Souichi joined in. "You said you…won't worry me any more. You can't break your promise. You _are_ breaking it right now," he said testily. "Isogai and Masaki and your brother are out there right now, I'm left to deal with them. If-when you wake up, they can all go away again."

Kanako giggled. She reached out for Morinaga's uninjured hand. "Morinaga-kun, you should wake up and recover quickly. We'll be here, all right?"

She tapped his hand lightly-and then, before their very eyes, something unbelievable happened.

Morinaga's fingers twitched, closing around Kanako's.

"Nii-san!"

* * *

A/N: Yay, another cliffhanger! *grins * behold my evil plans for world domination by letting my readers wait. I'll see you in the asylum!

I'm feeling really happy about the reviews this is getting! Every time I read your reviews I feel like I can skydive without the parachute. (well, technically speaking, I _can,_ but I'd probably splatter on impact.) So here's a great big thanks to:

_**Tsukiyomi Moto**_: You are absolutely fatal...the dust bunnies cower in terror and awe of you! I also wish that there's a separate side story continuing the Masaki-Kunihiro relationship...that ending just leaves me hanging...thanks for your (2nd?) review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: Ahhh...*hides under table while blushing* thanks. i can say that you ought to wait for the rest of the story before saying it's one of the best though! I might end up disappointing everyone, haha. And I usually can't control the little details of the story-though I know where I want it to go, sometimes it just takes a life of its own. I'm not really one for huge dramatic scenes-this will become more apparent later on- so from the start I knew that a tearful reconciliation with their parents would not happen. I think I pity them a little too, though if I were Kunihiro I'd have thrown a shoe at their heads. Oh well. And it's my first time writing Kunihiro (okay, first time writing everyone in Tyrant) so I'm glad I got him right! I also know you didn't like Masaki (i think you said it in one of your previous stories, can't remember which one though). Psychologically he's a good character-I don't like the things he did, either, or the logic behind them, but his flaws make him more interesting. I hope you got the Nutella jar! thanks for your review!

_**fullmoon**_: Gracias! Yo no comprendo Espanol, Lo siento. Como se dice 'continue to support the story' en espanol?

_**Yakuchouu**_: Thanks for giving me a great piece of music, and the translation, too! It's a bit sad, though-but it fits the story. I wish I could speak another language, but i end up getting my tongue tied. Haha. Thanks for the review!

_**LoveStories**_: no, the best part's not yet here! XD wait for it. thanks for the review!

_**Guest**_: I was finishing my Nutella. I expect I'll have a cavity tomorrow. XD thanks for the review!

_**B.A.D- Class**_: this kind of comment makes me want to leave people even more frustrated. * laughs * (I am a proud sadist.) Here's your next chapter! I think it will leave you wanting more again. Thanks for the review!

_**Izarra-sub**_: Somehow I got the feeling this was cut off? I was browsing fan fiction after I've read the manga, and I noticed a lack of stories for this manga. that's how it all started. Oh, and the other fan fics were great too! I was inspired. Thanks for your review!

T_**yasia T**_: Ah, is English not your first language? it isn't my first language, either. I love to keep my readers hanging-so unfortunately all of you have to get used to it. but it's more interesting that way, ne? But I don't know, I think I'm not doing enough-in portraying emotions,I mean, but let's see if I can't remedy that in the next few chapters. It's still beginning, after all. thanks for your review(s)!

_**Amity33**_: *throws confetti on Amity* YES! finally! I was planning to ask my readers if they recognized Dr. Uzuki, but I kept on forgetting. You're the first one to do so. For those who don't know him, read Usagi Otoko Tora Otoko! It's really nice- a comedy manga, too. I know the doctor's working in another hospital, but I couldn't resist. Isn't he cute?! Thanks for your review!

_**noboyha**_: here's the next chapter! Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait a bit for the hurt/ comfort part. I always try to lay down a solid foundation for my stories so the character's emotions won't seem confusing or overdone. Thanks for your review!

_**Guest2**_: I actually wanted to throttle the Morinaga couple while writing that chapter-and I was the one writing it. Damn I'm always weird. Anyways, thanks for your review! Here's the next chapter.

**The people who will not review will be cursed with the Baby Hex, in which they will start hearing Justin Beiber's song Baby everywhere they go. The only way to cure it is to leave a review. **

See you in the next chapter, my lovelies!


	5. Door to Dread

A/N: Welcome back, my lovelies!

Disclaimer: I own insanity. Proceed at your own risk.

* * *

After that incident, Souichi was sure that Morinaga was waking up-who wouldn't? Kanako's startled yell brought Kunihiro, Masaki and Isogai running into the room, but Morinaga's movement was over by then.

A rather irate nurse had shooed them out of the room, while another nurse had called Dr. Uzuki. After ten minutes, Dr. Uzuki had emerged from Morinaga's room and led them into a sitting room.

"Well? Is he awake?" Souichi said at once, leaning forward in his seat. "Can we see him?"

Dr. Uzuki sighed. "No," he replied.

"No, we can't see him?" Isogai repeated.

"No," Dr. Uzuki corrected Isogai, "He isn't awake."

"But…why? We saw him move. We did!" Kanako protested.

Souichi wanted to yell out his agreement. What did he mean, _no_?

"I know you did. But…you see…" the doctor looked more flustered than ever with a five pairs of eyes on him, "You see, waking up from a coma-it isn't like the way the movies or the stories tell it. It isn't… instantaneously. The patient may regain some movement, but these may be purely involuntary, as his body is trying to…re-acquaint itself, you could say."

"Dr. Uzuki, you're rambling. What is it that you're trying to say?" Kunihiro interrupted edgily.

"I'm trying to say that-this behavior is normal, and will continue to occur until he fully regains consciousness. The good news is that this means Morinaga-kun is slowly starting to come out of it. But if you ask me how long this half-awake state would last, I'd tell you that I don't know. Patients who come out of a coma do it slowly. Don't expect him to suddenly sit up and start talking, that's unrealistic. I'm sorry I didn't warn you before, but I didn't want to get your hopes up."

There was a deep silence at these words. Souichi was swallowing his bitter disappointment. He did hope that once Morinaga had moved, it would mean that Morinaga was waking up.

Dr. Uzuki had shot down his expectations with his words. And going by the looks on the others' faces, they were disappointed too.

"What can we do?" Masaki asked.

"Nothing more than what you're already doing," Dr. Uzuki said. "Talk to him. Stay with him."

"We know," grumbled Souichi.

* * *

That conversation was ten days ago. If they had been hoping that Morinaga would wake up within a few days of that first movement, they were mistaken. Sure, Morinaga moved once in a while (surprising the hell out of whoever was with him at that time), but he wasn't fully conscious yet. Once or twice he opened his mouth as if to speak, but his jaw was still confined to an arch band, so he couldn't make a sound.

There were a few good things that happened (from Souichi's point of view). The first thing was that Masaki had left. He had wanted to stay longer, especially since Morinaga first moved, but he had a job to go back to. Souichi had been surprised that Masaki was willing to quit his job in order to stay with Morinaga, but Kunihiro had a quiet conversation with Masaki. After that talk, Masaki agreed to leave, still looking unhappy. He made Kunihiro swear that he would call Masaki every day to tell him about Moringaga's condition.

Souichi watched him go with vindictive satisfaction.

Of course, Kanako had also left to go back to school, with the promise that she would be back next weekend.

Isogai was a bit harder to shake off. He visited every two or three days, and his personal mission varied from driving Souichi demented to making sure that Souichi got enough food and sleep. When Souichi asked him why he was doing it, Isogai simply told him that it was for personal satisfaction.

Kunihiro didn't go, either. Apparently, he had applied to work from home for at least a month. He stayed at a cheap inn, bringing his work with him. But he never failed to stop by Morinaga's room at least twice a day for hour-long visits.

The second good thing that happened was that Morinaga was moved to a private room. Dr. Uzuki had finally agreed to do so only five days ago. There were fewer machines hooked up to Morinaga now, though Souichi still couldn't be in the same room while they changed his bandages.

More people were allowed to visit Morinaga, and visit they did. Souichi knew some of them, but there were many he did not: Suzuki-san and Nagae-san, who brought Ishida-san (Ishida had broken a leg in the accident and was only recently allowed to move around). There were Morinaga's other co-workers who were at the drinking party, and two of Morinaga's superiors. There were Morinaga's college friends and lab buddies. Even the newbies to Souichi's research work, who only met with Morinaga once, visited him. Half the faculty in Morinaga's college visited as well.

Because of all these visitors, Morinaga was never alone. Souichi supposed it was ridiculous of him to assume that Morinaga's world revolved around him, but Morinaga made him feel that was so. Souichi never "talked" to Morinaga in the presence of all these visitors, but he made sure that he was the very last visitor at night. During these visits, and only when they were alone, would Souichi tell Morinaga to hurry and wake up.

Then-Souichi would bend down, blushing furiously, and brush Morinaga's hair out of his eyes. This last gesture was, to Souichi, more acceptable than a kiss, especially if a nurse happened to walk in on them (as had happened once.) But it was also more intimate. Several times, Morinaga twitched and sighed as Souichi was doing it…perhaps that was actually a good sign. It had the added benefit of not hurting Morinaga, whose face still resembled radishes and beets.

Souichi had also returned to his research work, at least part of the time. He usually dropped in the hospital in the mornings, to check for any changes in Morinaga's condition, then head off to his lab. During lunchtimes he would visit the hospital again. Usually he found time to visit Morinaga a third time, after work, and if not there was also the last visiting hour. Fortunately Nagoya General Hospital was only a ten-minute cab ride from the University.

Souichi wanted to concentrate on work, he really did, but there were times when he found himself stopping work to stare dazedly into space. During those instances his co-workers were there to make sure he didn't make a mistake that would result in injury or the explosion of half the chemistry lab. Sometimes he would walk down the street and suddenly turn, certain that he heard Morinaga call his name. Sometimes it took him several seconds to remember where Morinaga really was.

Kanako called every day. He dutifully told her even the slightest change in Morinaga's condition.

There were several notable visitors: Hiroto, Morinaga's drinking companion at the bar, who called Morinaga Angel-kun. At first Souichi wanted to punch him for calling Morinaga that-he wasn't dead, damn it- but later found out that Hiroto had always called him that.

Morinaga's parents never came, and Kunihiro refused to speak about it.

Another visitor was Kirigaya's fiancée, Sanada Rima. That was a particularly painful visit. She apologized for Kirigaya, saying that she knew that he was sorry for Morinaga's condition. Souichi had been fully prepared to hate that drunk driver- but Rima-san had softened some of his ire. He'd been shocked that Kirigaya was to be married. But her loss was greater than Souichi's, since Morinaga was still alive when Kirigaya was not.

…and just why the hell did he compare himself to Kirigaya's fiancée?

* * *

Souichi wasn't even there on the day that Morinaga finally woke up. Two days previously, Morinaga had opened his eyes, but seemed confused and disoriented, unable to speak. Morinaga had only been awake for five minutes, the drifted off again. At that time Souichi was at the laboratory-he heard it from Hiroto and Kunihiro, who were visiting at that time.

The next time that Morinaga woke up was in the middle of last night. A night nurse had realized that Morinaga was watching her drowsily as she changed his IV drip. She'd called Dr. Uzuki, who was fortunately still in the hospital at that time. The total length of time that Morinaga woke up for the second time was fifteen minutes-just long enough for the doctor to conduct a quick examination. From what Dr. Uzuki told them the next morning, Morinaga was still confused, but can follow simple instructions such as opening and closing the fingers of his uninjured hand and following a penlight with his eyes. No, he didn't seem concussed.

Today they were removing that arch band, to help Morinaga breathe and talk. If everything went well, the oxygen mask would be off by this afternoon, too.

Souichi was pissed that he'd missed seeing Morinaga when he woke up. Was that perverted bastard doing it on purpose? His nerves were becoming increasingly frayed as the days went by. He alternated between snapping at his assistants' mistakes and making the same mistakes himself. He hadn't cleaned the house (he didn't know how) and only ever ate takeout food. It was unhealthy but their apartment was already devoid of food.

Souichi's professor finally agreed to cut his working hours short so that Souichi could spend more time with Morinaga in the hospital (and, incidentally, regain his sanity.) But more than the gesture, Souichi knew that the professor was actually worried about Morinaga-they knew each other, after all.

His new working hours were from eight thirty to three in the afternoon. This meant that exactly two weeks after he had that Chinese dinner with Morinaga, he arrived at the hospital just in time to witness his third awakening.

Kunihiro was standing beside the bed, murmuring softly. Dr. Uzuki and one of the nurses assigned to Morinaga was also there, ready with a blood-pressure cuff. Dr. Uzuki was holding his stethoscope against Morinaga's chest, who was-

Who was awake.

Awake.

Morinaga seemed very tired-which was ridiculous, considering that he just spent two fucking weeks in a coma. His normally bright green eyes were dulled with medication, and the crease in his eyebrows told Souichi that his kouhai was feeling overwhelmed.

Souichi stood frozen on the doorstep. Something was wrong with him. This was it, this was the moment that he had been waiting for this past fortnight. But why couldn't he move? Why couldn't he speak? He had to go to Morinaga, didn't he? He had to check if he was okay.

He had to see for himself that this was real, not a dream nor a hallucination-

Then Kunihiro saw him at the door. Dr. Uzuki noted the change in Kunihiro's posture and turned as well.

"Tatsumi-san," Dr. Uzuki greeted him with a smile. "I see you're back."

That seemed to break the spell. Souichi stumbled forward, disbelieving. "Morinaga-"

Morinaga stared at him, then his lips moved soundlessly. He still seemed very weak…

"Don't talk if you can't," ordered Souichi. "You just concentrate on recovering. Damned idiot."

At that, Morinaga smiled slightly. He closed his eyes…seconds later he was asleep.

That was it? That was all he got after two weeks of waiting? A monologue with Morinaga for three seconds?

Souichi felt himself deflating with disappointment. Dr. Uzuki had told him to expect something like this, but experiencing it was another matter. He was a bit embarrassed to be thinking so childishly-Morinaga needed to recover after all-but he couldn't help it.

"Forty-five minutes," Dr. Uzuki said. "That's twenty minutes more than this morning."

"Wait, this morning?" repeated Souichi. "He woke up this morning too?"

"Just after you left," confirmed Kunihiro. He seemed happier than he'd been since the accident-and he should, thought Souichi resentfully, he saw Morinaga awake thrice now.

"How's his head?" Souichi demanded, turning to the doctor.

"More or less the same as the last time," answered Dr. Uzuki. "He may need some speech therapy-he seems to have some difficulty forming words. I expect we'll know more when he wakes up for longer. Nurse, can you check Peter's schedule? I think we can fit Morinaga-kun into it."

"Of course, Dr. Uzuki." The nurse left.

"Peter…?" Souichi inquired.

"A speech therapist, the best here. I think we can start next week if there was ever a need. Now then…" Dr. Uzuki lowered his voice. "Tatsumi-san, I think you saw that Morinaga-kun is still recovering. I suggest that you don't stimulate him too much. I know that everyone's happy he's awake, but it won't help if he gets over-excited."

Souichi thought of all the times when it was Morinaga who wanted to…erm_, stimulate_ him, and blushed. "Don't worry, Doctor, I won't."

"Good. Don't be too worried if he's confused or can't remember what happened exactly-that's to be expected."

"Will he recover fully? I mean, in that aspect?" Kunihiro probed.

"That depends," admitted Dr. Uzuki. "I've spoken to patients in cases like these and while they can function perfectly in society-as well as they could- they don't always remember the specific details of their accidents."

That was fine, thought Souichi, just fine. It was all right if Morinaga never remembered the accident. The important thing was he was awake. Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

Morinaga floated to consciousness with the vague feeling that he had done so before. There was something…what had happened? Was he lying down?

He felt no pain, but felt like he should be. He blinked to get a better sense of his surroundings, because all he saw was white. He was still sleepy.

He turned his head, intending to find out where he was. A door. Walls of pristine white. An IV bag…he was in the hospital? Why?

He turned his head in the other direction. He had underestimated the effort he needed to do this-why was he so weak?-and needed to close his eyes to fight off the dizziness. Ow.

"Morinaga?" a quiet voice whispered.

Morinaga opened his eyes again. There was a window on this side of the room, showing a view of the night sky. "Ugh," he replied intelligently.

"How are you feeling?" The man asked. "Any pain? I'll call the doctor."

"I'm…fine. A bit… sleepy."

A look of enormous relief broke over the other man's face. "You damned idiot," he scolded Morinaga in a tremulous voice. "Do you know you've been out for two weeks?"

"Two...what?"

"Never mind that for now," said the man. "Look, I really need Dr. Uzuki, so I'll have to look for the call button." He looked up at the collection of buttons on the panel above Morinaga's head. "Fuck. Which one is it? Don't these come with labels?"

Morinaga smiled, then winced when the effort hurt his face. "Ow," he mumbled.

"Don't do anything," the man said. "You stay there and wait." He began to push all the buttons on the panel, to no effect. "Just how the hell does this work?!"

Morinaga took the time to look around some more. Was he really in a hospital? What had happened? Why did he feel like everything was moving as slowly was molasses? He closed his eyes.

"Oi, don't fall asleep again!" said the man. He had finally found the proper call button-the one by Morinaga's wrist. "Here it is."

The man pressed the button, and the speaker came on. "Yes?"

"Morinaga Tetsuhiro's awake. What do I do?"

"We'll send Dr. Uzuki right away."

"Okay."

The man let go of the button and sat down beside him. "Don't worry about anything. Dr. Uzuki's coming-that's your primary doctor. He's a good doctor, a bit rabbit-like perhaps, but competent. Are you thirsty? He said that you should drink if you can."

Morinaga nodded, feeling reassured. The man reached over and fumbled with something, emerging a few seconds later with a cup of water and a straw. With infinite gentleness, the man assisted him in sipping a few mouthfuls of water. That was all that Morinaga could muster before he felt tired again.

The man seemed to sense it, too. He took the cup away and simply sat there, staring at Morinaga. Morinaga felt…naked, being stared at by this man. Not scared, exactly, but exposed…he wondered why that was.

"Who are you?" Morinaga finally asked.

* * *

Souichi had stubbornly insisted on watching over Morinaga for the rest of the evening, and Kunihiro had given up trying to dissuade him otherwise. He was busy, anyway, what with Masaki coming over again this weekend and arranging for the rest of Morinaga's treatments.

It wasn't like Souichi wasn't busy, either. Word of Morinaga's waking had quickly spread. Souichi thought they would have more visitors tomorrow.

Souichi felt strange. He felt happy and anxious at the same time-which was an improvement over the past couple of weeks.

Everything was going to be fine. Souichi was chanting that mantra to himself, willing himself to believe it. The most important part was done. Morinaga was coming around.

He was so absorbed in reassuring himself that he was quite startled when he looked down and found Morinaga's head turned towards the door. Wait, he wasn't facing that way three seconds ago, was he? "Morinaga?" he whispered.

Morinaga turned again to look at him.

Souichi hadn't realized how much he feared that he would never see those eyes open again. For a moment he couldn't speak.

Then Morinaga said, "Ugh."

Souichi immediately proceeded to fuss over Morinaga. Now that he was actually awake, Souichi realized that he didn't know what to do. He called for his doctor and helped Morinaga drink water-Dr. Uzuki warned them that it was all that Morinaga would be able to keep down.

Once that episode was over, he sat down beside the bed to gaze into his kouhai's face. At least this time it wasn't a three-second monologue.

Could he touch his face, as he'd done before now? Would that hurt Morinaga?

Morinaga was looking back at him, returning his stare steadily. Compared to this morning, Morinaga seemed more alert, though still not fully awake. He looked like he was a man that wasn't entirely sure he wasn't dreaming.

_I'm here_, Souichi wanted to say. _I'm here, and I'll stay_.

Why couldn't he say it? He just ran out of things to say when it came to Morinaga…or maybe it had something to do with the huge lump in his throat.

But it didn't matter. Everything was going to be…

As always, it was Morinaga who spoke first.

"Who are you?"

…all right.

* * *

A/N: * claps hands * This chapter was shorter than the last one. I'm sorry if this seemed like a whole lot of nothing, but believe me, I'm trying to make this as medically accurate as possible. Patients in comas really do take a while to come around, not like in the movies when they just rise from the bed like a resurrected zombie. No.

And I've been working hard to stay in the manga-verse, such as, "What if Morinaga realy got into an accident? What would happen? How would it affect the people around him?"

Your comments and reviews on these points are, as always, welcome. As you can probably predict, though, things are starting to move faster. I don't want to say any more on this point, except to repeat what I've told Lady Tsuru27 at her last review: I'm not much for drama.

And I hate cliche plots. I've been writing long enough that I want something new.

I really will get busted as a sane person if I keep talking like that, but okay, I'll stop.

The usual flurry of thanks:

_**LadyTsuru27**_: I was quite literally stunned when you reviewed about an hour after I posted the last chapter...and very happy. And yes, I do love Isogai! Out of all the characters there in Tyrant, my personality is most like him. I'd needed someone who can look after Souichi while all of this was going on, and though I'd dare say that he's not Souichi's first choice, he's perfect. Additionally, he makes Souichi snap out of it a little. thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: Try manga go. I've read the last chapter there, I think the only thing that's missing is the rumored "extra". I'm so happy to find someone who shares my interests! (I can't find an opening to get Nonami-san in this fic, though...it'd seem too weird) thanks for your review!

_**noboyha**_: Uhm, that's kinda hard when morinaga's still only half awake...and anyway I'm not sure who's going to be doing the comforting in this case, they both need some...thanks for your review!

_**kayitt**_: don't worry, you reviewed, so your eardrums will stay baby-free. damn that song just has a way to repeating itself in your head doesn't it? XD but i'm not sure if this chapter made you happy...morinaga's awake but not all there...thanks for your review!

_**vzy**_: * bows * I have updated. behold the amazing power of lunacy and love for the readers! thanks for your review!

_**badbreaker**_: really, I haven't noticed it was a cliffhanger... * laughs * but I think the cliffhanger's worse this time? Yes? Thanks for your review!

_**Tyasia T**_: Happy birthday! I'm glad the last chapter came to you that time, though I hadn't planned it...In Souichi's case I think that anger and irritation makes him more focused-or more normal. So Souichi naturally leans towards those emotions. I don't know, sometimes he's mature and sometimes he's childish, like a defense mechanism...I hope that Kanako doesn't grow up that way too. (though I don't think she will, she's got an independent mind.) I tried to learn french together with a friend but I kept distracting her by laughing. In the end I was ejected from the library (where we were trying to learn.) Thanks for your review!

P.S: thanks for understanding the cliffies...you ought to write too, and leave cliffhangers as payback. lovely. XD

_**Guest**_: I was busy trying to overcome that murderer of all inspirations, writer's block. Until I stumble upon it again, I shall persevere in writing. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: wow, three reviews in one go! i don't think he's willing to admit he loves tetsu though, he might be more willing to drink cyanide... *ponders * hm. now I don't know if that's romantic or suicidal, because if I owned tyrant I definitely would try daring souichi to choose between those. THanks for your review!

_**AminaKoyim**_: Uhm, in this chapter, and in the chapters to come, I don't know who's going to hurt or need comforting more. I'd guess it's a split. Thanks for your review!

_**Guest2**_ (spanish...XD): Well, he woke up...but he...well...not exactly a happy awakening...* sweatdrops * Thanks for your review!

_**scranneer**_: but I do like leaving cliffhangers...it makes my day more satisfying... oh yes, I know I should get locked up for sadism. XD Thanks for your review!

_**blumossid**_**_o_**: sweetie, you're literally the first one who told me that I update fast. * cries with joy * I'm so happy! Thanks for your review!

Ah-for those who followed and favorited this since the last time I thanked you guys, I'm very grateful. Your favorites, follows, and reviews keep me going.

**Review, or onion-flavored ice cream will dominate Walmart.**

See you in the next chapter, my lovelies! You are forbidden to hunt me down with rusty knives and pitchforks.


	6. Secondhand Sting

A/N: *Crawls into fan fiction and posts new chapter *

* hides in her burrow *

Disclaimer: I have tasted onion-flavored ice cream and it was terrible.

* * *

Souichi froze. Wait, what?

"Do I…" Morinaga was hesitant now, "know you?"

"That's not a very funny joke, Morinaga," he growled. "You want another injury?"

Which was not a very touching thing to tell a person who'd just woken up from a two-week coma, but tact had never been one of Souichi's strong points.

"I'm sorry. I-I can't remember…anything, much."

Just then Dr. Uzuki came in, and it was a good thing too-for Souichi wanted to focus on something else, ANYTHING else right now. He wanted someone who can give him answers, and if he had to terrorize this rabbit doctor in order to get them, so be it.

"He can't remember me," Souichi told Dr. Uzuki. "Why?"

The doctor's brows furrowed in confusion, then he glanced at Morinaga, who in turn looked politely curious at all the attention. Dr. Uzuki must have some power of foresight because the first thing he did was to order Souichi out of the room.

"What-Why- You can't do this!" exclaimed Souichi. He hadn't been thrown out of Morinaga's room ever since his release from the ICU. "I demand answers, damn it!"

"Please, Tatsumi-san," said Dr. Uzuki. "You're upsetting the patient."

For the first time, Souichi heard a series of loud beeps-the EKG. Oh. _Oh._ He glanced at Morinaga, but his kouhai did not meet his eyes.

Fine. Souichi stomped ungracefully out of the room, leaving the doctor to his patient. The nearest bench was two hallways away-why was it so far?

He sank down on the seat and glanced at his watch. 10:07 pm. He had gone over visiting hours; it was supposed to end at 9pm.

Admittedly, if Dr. Uzuki had not sent him out of the room, he might have pounded Morinaga. How dare he forget about him? How dare he?

And _was_ it only him that Morinaga had forgotten? Kunihiro had not said anything, after all-though that might not mean much. The elder Morinaga brother was well aware of Souichi' s feelings.

Souichi had thought that once Morinaga woke up, he'd finally find a way out of this nightmare. It was so unfair-it seemed that Morinaga's accident was only the beginning. If there was an author of this episode of his life, he's go right over there tear them into a million pieces.

Was this permanent? What if Morinaga never remembered him? What would happen?

No, don't think that, he told himself.

And why did he care? Because, damn it, he did care. He didn't think he could stand it if Morinaga did forget him, if Morinaga did not care about _him_ any longer.

It was true that he could have treated Morinaga better, but really, Morinaga deserved whatever Souichi gave him. Morinaga was just ruled by his hormones and Souichi saw it fit to dole out punishments.

Morinaga might have threatened to leave a few times, but he always returned. _Always. _ To some people it might have been comical, this cycle they had of separating and coming back together. Souichi had even thought of what it was like if Morinaga did leave his life- like the aftermath of the first night they had been together- but he found the concept too awful to dwell on.

And, that fire, those few minutes when he was inside their blazing house. He'd been terrified and calling for Morinaga over and over again-unable, even then, of imagining Morinaga to be in a place where Souichi couldn't call him back.

It seemed that the only times that he felt truly scared had something to do with Morinaga.

Souichi hated feeling fear because he associated it with helplessness. He battled with his emotions head on- anger for Kurokawa, annoyance for his absentminded father, protectiveness over both his siblings. But Morinaga made him deal with emotions that he hadn't felt before. When Morinaga was sad, he felt pain so real that it was difficult to breathe (and made him cranky, but that was another matter.) When Morinaga was in pain he wanted to crush its source. When Morinaga was happy, or when he smiled at him, Souichi felt embarrassed and pleased and…gooey, all at the same time.

He was rather painfully aware that Morinaga was important to him, but he refused to think about how important he was. He'd rather think of how important he was to Morinaga…yes, yes, that made him feel much better.

But the Morinaga that was in the hospital right now couldn't even recognize who he was, much less remember why was Souichi so important, right?

Was this it, then? When Souichi first heard of the accident, he thought there was nothing worse in the world than to see his kouhai barely alive. Now it seems that Someone Up There was actually listening to his thoughts. Gods of Irony, perhaps. Which was worse-losing the one you cared about to death?

Or having them there without any memories of you?

* * *

"Moringa-kun…" Dr. Uzuki whispered. He had finished his examination but Morinaga was still motionless.

Morinaga finally turned to look at him. "I'm sorry." He said. Right, this person was a doctor, he said so before. "Was that person-the one who just left- someone I knew?"

"Yes."

Morinaga thought about that-as much as he could with his head throbbing. "Was he important to me?"

That look on the blonde man's face when he asked him who he was-it pierced him like a knife. Morinaga realized in that instant that he had done something very, very wrong…but he didn't know how to fix it because he really couldn't remember-

"What do you think?"

Morinaga closed his eyes. For some reason-he felt strange. As if he had been late, but came through hellfire just to arrive in time for a very important meeting. Perhaps it was a good thing that the blond man was the first person he saw…

He smiled slightly. "I think so."

* * *

"Tetsuhiro!" Kunihiro exclaimed in relief when he visited the next morning and saw him awake.

"Nii-san?" Morinaga said in bewilderment. "Why…"

"How are you even asking that? Did you really think I'd leave you?" His older brother's voice showed exasperation. "Tatsumi-san and I have been waiting for you to wake up."

Dr. Uzuki, once more checking up on Morinaga, looked at Kunihiro. "So you remember him?"

"What do you mean, he remembers me?"

"A little," Morinaga said. "I know he's Nii-san…he's…I…hurt him?"

"Of course not-unless you count worrying us so much. Tetsuhiro, what's the matter? Doctor?"

The doctor inclined his head towards Morinaga. "I think we need to talk, Morinaga-san."

Kunihiro looked at his younger brother, who was looking at him uncertainly. "Yes. I think we do."

* * *

Half an hour later, Kunihiro returned to Morinaga's bedside, much subdued. "So…you really don't remember me?"

"…I'm sorry. I know who you are. But that's it."

"No, don't be. I'm just glad you're alive, and wake, and considering the circumstances…" Kunihiro trailed off, then made a brave effort to smile. "You'll be fine."

"Yeah, that's what Dr. Uzuki said."

"Are you feeling all right, though? Are you in pain? Can you talk properly? You seem to be talking slower than usual."

"My mouth feels strange," Morinaga admitted. In fact his tongue felt too thick and oddly floppy. "Dr. Uzuki said something about speech therapy."

"Ah, yes."

An awkward silence fell then, as they both searched for safe topics to discuss. "Nii-san…you've been here before, right?"

"Yes. You remember that?"

"I…I think so," Morinaga murmured. "Do you think…this memory…I won't remember ever anything?"

"No." Kunihiro's tone was almost angry. "It's just that-you hit your head very hard. You'll recover."

"Nii-san…" Morinaga didn't want to disappoint him, mainly because he didn't want to disappoint himself even more. "Maybe you can help me?"

"How?"

"Well, just tell me anything about us."

Kunihiro softened. "Tetsuhiro, _no._ The doctor said it won't be good to force you to remember-"

"-You're not forcing me-"

"-and besides, even without memory, you're still my brother. My only brother. I won't leave you because you don't remember me."

Morinaga's eyes filled with tears, making Kunihiro jerk upright in alarm.

"Tetsuhiro, what's the matter? Does anything hurt?" Kunihiro fumbled for the call button. "Should I call a nurse?"

Morinaga's hand closed upon Kunihiro's wrist. "No, no. I'm fine."

"But you're crying! Is it a headache? Your arm? Your ribs?" Kunihiro blathered on. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so upset-"

Morinaga smiled, even though it hurt his face. "I'm just happy, Nii-san."

Confusion clouded Kunihiro's features for a moment longer. Then he said, "Oh." He sat down on his chair, looking humiliated, and repeated, "Oh."

Somehow, Morinaga felt like his brother's cluelessness about other people's emotions was nothing new. "What time is it anyway?"

Kunihiro checked his watch. "Nine. Are you allowed solid food yet?"

"No," he replied.

"Are you hungry?" Kunihiro asked anyway.

Morinaga pointed to his IV. It was awkward to have a conversation while lying down, but at the moment he felt like he didn't care.

Kunihiro paused. Morinaga looked sleepy again. "You look like you could use some rest."

"I'm not tired," lied Morinaga.

"Sleep," Kunihiro ordered simply. "We'll be here."

Morinaga blinked, smiled again, then closed his eyes.

* * *

When Morinaga next woke up, it was late afternoon. Kunihiro was still there, and also a man who introduced himself as Hiroto. Morinaga apologized for not knowing him, but Hiroto waved it off.

"It's really strange to have you like this, angel-kun," Hiroto said. "But it's good to have a lucid conversation with you again."

"Huhm," mumbled Morinaga. He felt tired and wanted to sleep again, but at the same time felt restless. He wished he wasn't drugged so much. He didn't feel lucid. "How long…?"

"Since you last woke up?" Kunihiro finished for him. "Just a little under eight hours."

That was still too long.

"Don't worry about it, Angel-kun," Hiroto assured him, catching sight of his reaction. "You need to rest."

Morinaga knew that. For now he was too tired to do anything but obey their orders to rest and sleep, but there was a tiny part of him that protested.

He wanted some semblance of control. "Can you grab me a mirror, then?"

Kunihiro seemed apprehensive. "Why?"

"I want to know what…what I look like. That's only fair, isn't it?"

HIroto and Kunihiro exchanged a glance. "Well, I don't think…it could hurt," HIroto said carefully.

His older brother still looked skeptical, but in the end, he brought him a mirror.

He looked horrendous. Even knowing that he had been in a car accident, he couldn't look at himself without flinching.

"I look terrible." Morinaga whispered.

"But alive," Kunihiro interjected.

Was he? Morinaga doubted it. His head was wrapped in bandages and his face was bone white, except for the few places where purple bruises stood out. Most of his right ear was also swathed in gauze, and of course his facial features were all out of kilter- his eyes half lidded, and his cheeks covered with scrapes. His lips felt and looked strange, though he couldn't pinpoint why.

Morinaga looked down. His torso was covered in bandages, and his right arm was encased in plaster.

"-hiro. Tetsuhiro!" someone said, and Morinaga focused on Kunihiro again. "Calm down."

There was a fast beeping sound that meant…something…yes. He was being distressed. It happened last night too. Last night when he...

That man, he was sitting by his bed-

Waiting?

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Hiroto said. "Should we call someone?"

Suddenly his head hurt, and he hunched over, trying to contain the pain. It felt like jagged glass was burrowing inside his skull. The sudden movement caused a wave of agony throughout his whole body, and he cried out, his eyes clamped shut.

Morinaga heard the distant sound of shattering glass as Kunihiro threw the mirror aside to come to his aid. HIroto was already there, trying to coax Morinaga out of the ball he was curling up in. His broken arm felt like it was on fire.

It _hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt_-

"Nurse? Something's happening to my brother…I think he's hurt somewhere, he keeps clutching his head…"

Kunihiro was calling the nurse. There was a reply of some kind, but Morinaga couldn't bring himself to focus on it because he could barely breathe.

He could tell that Kunihiro was panicking again, and he wanted to tell him that it was all right, though how he could do that with the spikes in his head, he didn't know.

Then there was a clatter of movement, which meant that someone else had arrived. Someone was rubbing his back. Gently, and whispering soothing words in his ears. He tried to push them away, because they were distracting them from his pain, but they didn't let go. Finally Morinaga felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him, and he gladly surrendered himself to it.

He was unaware that he had tears in his eyes.

* * *

Masaki stared at Kunihiro, visibly shaken. Kunihiro was gazing at his brother's sleeping form, seemingly unaware that Masaki had arrived. There was another man in the room, but Masaki didn't know him.

When Masaki heard that Kunihiro was awake, he'd been overjoyed. He knew he'd been pushing it with his boss, but he asked for the weekend off again-and was surprised to know that the manager had understood.

Now that he was actually here, however…

"What happened?" Masaki asked Kunihiro. "Is it like this every time?" He thought of Tetsuhiro, awake but in terrible pain. Beads of sweat covered Tetsuhiro's face, and his eyebrows will still scrunched up. His tears hit Masaki like a punch to the gut. If it was like that it might have been better for him to be asleep.

"No," the stranger said. "He woke up ten minutes ago-he seemed fine, a bit confused, but he was talking to us. He…asked for a mirror."

Now the nurse was also listening in intently.

The stranger continued, "He said he wanted to know what he looked like now. But when he saw his reflection, he…he…"

"Got upset," said Kunihiro. He sat down on a nearby chair and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was like that."

He looked so anguished that even the nurse couldn't scold him. "Dr. Uzuki has already gone home, and he has the day off tomorrow. We'll be keeping a close eye on Morinaga-kun in the meantime."

"Yes," Masaki answered, looking a bit calmer.

The nurse nodded. "We'll also be sending someone to pick up the pieces," she said, gesturing to the floor. Masaki looked down to see mirror shards. The other two men didn't even appear to have noticed.

The nurse left. Masaki turned to the other man in Tetsuhiro's room. "I haven't introduced myself. I'm a friend of Tetsuhiro's. Masaki Junya."

"Hiroto," the man replied. "Are you from Fukuoka?"

Masaki nodded. "I just arrived twenty minutes ago. I came straight here."

"We didn't realize…it would affect him that much," murmured Hiroto, appearing to have read Masaki's mind.

"At least he's asleep now," Masaki said.

"I guess," agreed Hiroto. Kunihiro still hadn't spoken. "He seemed aware of his surroundings when he first woke up- couldn't remember us, of course, but-"

"What did you say?" Masaki said sharply.

"No one has told you?"

Kunihiro looked up. "I wanted to tell you in person."

"Tell me what? This is important, Kunihiro! He couldn't remember anything?"

"No," Kunihiro corrected him, "He couldn't remember anyone."

Masaki took the seat opposite Kunihiro. His thoughts were racing. "No one? Not even you?"

"He knows I'm his brother. That's all."

Masaki suddenly noticed the dark circles under Kunihiro's eyes. Kunihiro must have been so worried, too. "At least he's alive. Awake," Masaki offered quietly.

"Yes."

"Is it…" Masaki hesitated, "…permanent?"

Kunihiro shrugged helplessly. "You know Dr. Uzuki. He can't give us a straight answer."

Masaki nodded again, thoughtfully. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but they all paled in significance compared to Tetsuhiro's overall well-being. He pushed those thoughts away, trying to focus on one fact: Tetsuhiro was awake. He was going to be fine.

"I think Angel-kun wants to remember," Hiroto said.

"Angel…?" Masaki repeated.

HIroto gestured to the pale figure on the bed. "That's just what I call him. He…wasn't surprised when I called him Angel-kun. He seemed to know why, even though he doesn't recognize it."

Masaki and Kunihiro silently digested HIroto's words. Dare they hope?

"That reminds me," Hiroto said, "Has any of you seen his Senpai?"

Kunihiro seemed to wake up a little. "No," he said, sounding astonished. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him once today. And he's usually always here."

"Do you think he knows?"

* * *

Souichi knew.

He knew he couldn't face an amnesiac Morinaga for a second time, so he…he went to the University in the morning and worked from eight to three.

He went straight home. It was the weekend and he knew that Kanako was going to visit, but he didn't want to see her, either. Kanako would just tell him to talk to Morinaga.

_Talk…_ thought Souichi bitterly. In as far as he knew, amnesiacs were not cured by mere _talking_.

He brought dinner at the 7-11 near their apartment. By now he had accepted that he didn't know how to cook and probably never would.

He'd taken to staying in the house as little as possible. He only ever came in there for the basic necessities-which had set him on his nightly habit of smoking outside. Nobody but him would ever be home anyway.

He got a message from Kanako saying that she would be in Nagoya the following morning. She was asking for him to meet her at the train station, so they could go to Morinaga together. He hesitated, then sent a text back saying that he would fetch her at the station. He didn't say anything about Morinaga's current condition.

* * *

Souichi was surprised when he saw an all-too-familiar figure waiting patiently by his door.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled at Masaki.

Masaki, for his part, seemed serene. "You're back late."

"You don't tell me what to do," Souichi snapped. "And why are you here again? Go back to wherever it is you came from-I don't want to talk to you right now."

"What about Morinaga?"

Souichi paused. "What about him?" he said forcefully.

Masaki inclined his head. "Aren't we going to talk inside?"

"What makes you think I'll invite you?"

Masaki sighed. "Ten minutes. All I'll need is ten minutes of your time."

"No. I'll give you ten seconds."

"Fine." Masaki said, sounding a little angry himself now. "You didn't visit today, but I thought you'd at least care. But I see you don't even want to know. Morinaga collapsed today because of a headache. I was there."

"What?!"

But Masaki was already leaving. Souichi grabbed his wrist to stop him. For a long moment they stared at each other: in both eyes was a challenge.

Finally Souichi let go and fumbled for his key. "I suppose you better go in."

* * *

A/N: Ah, brotherly love. And Masaki's love for Tetsuhiro, too.

Y'know, all of the chapters before (1-5) were just an introduction to the actual story. I didn't want to focus too much on a comatose Morinaga, though of course I had to give a solid background so that my lovely readers would understand the conflict better. I'd give points to anyone who can guess what it is by this point.

And no, it's not Morinaga having amnesia.

A bit of immortality to my reviewers: thanks!

**kiriohisagi**: Yes, I never meant for the "hurt" part to mean _physical_ pain. And about the cyanide...hmmm, that's an idea! maybe if I find the time for a crack fic, it'll be something like that. Beware, Souichi! Haha. Thanks for your review!

**Hermina05**: I want to punish Souichi a bit more for all the times he was mean to Morinaga...let him stew some more. Haha. No, but really, it'll be soon, very soon. Thanks for your review!

**Amity33**: I'll get to it right away! thanks for the tip, too. And yes, the amnesia is affecting Souichi more...if you'll notice, he still visited Morinaga while Morinaga was in a coma but doesn't visit now that Morinaga has forgotten him. Poor Senpai, it must've been a shock...Thanks for your review!

**kayitt**: haha! I can imagine Kunihiro's face when he walks in to see Souichi trying to make Morinaga "remember" through sex! Quite a scandal. THanks for your review!

**badbreaker**: You guessed right! Haha, apparently that line was provoking...I didn't expect that it would. As you can see, Souichi is sulking and depressed...But that's just the way he is, ne? Thanks for your review!

**Lady Tsuru27**: I try to do research on how patients come out of comas, and I think I actually read a book about the topic once. This chapter's not really a cliffhanger...hmm, that'll hurt my rep. I better remember to leave a cliffie the next time. I'm happy you're enjoying the pacing of the story! I mean, the manga isn't exactly fast-paced, either, it'd be weird if things too fast. Admittedly it hurt me to write Morinaga's headache scene, but it had to happen...Thanks for your review! (And your own story update!)

**Guest**: It's here! Sorry for the long wait! And thanks for your review!

**Tyasia T**: Oh my. Congratulations on wanting to write out a story-tell me when you do! I hope you won't leave too much cliffhangers though. And another thing about Souichi, he likes to argue. He argues with anything as long as it stands still long enough. Haha. He'll even argue with someone who just woke up from a coma. Thanks for your review!

**fullmoon**: no te preocupes, el es fuerte! Pero Morinaga es lindo tambien...a pesar de que esta lindo. gracias por tu comentario! (tell me if i got anything wrong...XD)

**Miny**: Welcome to the reviewer's section! I feel bad because if you feel nervous at this point, you'll probably be worse later on. Haha. Thanks for your review, hope you become a regular!

**blumonossido**: I think I broke my record a little (for fast updating), but this chapter's a bit longer than the previous one. I like onions, but not when they're in ice-cream. (I'd prefer them sauteed in butter and garlic. XD) Thanks for your review!

**Swt Cutie**: Another first timer! Welcome. Ah, based from this chapter, what do you think? Does he still love him? too bad Souichi's busy running away from Morinaga to find out...thanks for your review!

Thanks for all those who favorited and followed. Thanks to you, who had read until these comments are over.

_**Reviews help keep bananas safe from leprechauns. Please contribute.** _

See you next chapter, my lovelies!


	7. Corner of Calm

A/N: Alternative titles for this chapter:

/ When Aeon finally used the story tags (hurt/comfort & romance) correctly

/ When Aeon raised the rating to a T

/ When Aeon wants to shoot herself in the foot for the fluffiness of this chapter

Disclaimer: I used to work part-time in an asylum and went home in the evenings. Now I'm staying full time in the asylum and they won't let me go home.

* * *

Masaki watched his host as he was lead to the dining room to sit. Not the living room, because the apartment only had one sofa and there was no way that Souichi was sitting next to him.

He was not offered anything to drink. It was almost funny, the way that Souichi treated him, going out of his way to make his message clear. Masaki was knew Souichi's feelings, and probably knew the cause much better than Souichi did.

"So?" Souichi said abruptly.

But Tetsuhiro cared for Souichi. For this reason and this reason alone, Masaki would come to his apartment at ten in the evening to tell Souichi of Tetsuhiro's condition. Masaki would not have approached Souichi otherwise.

"He woke up late this afternoon. Kunihiro and Hiroto were there. When Tetsuhiro woke up, he was weak, but seemed lucid. But he didn't remember anything-not about who they were. Kunihiro has told me that Tetsuhiro remembers Kunihiro is his brother, but nothing else."

Masaki saw Souichi stiffen, but he asked no questions. So it was true, Masaki thought. Souichi already knew.

"He asked for a mirror. He said that he wanted to know what he looked like now. When he saw his reflection he…became upset. We don't know exactly what happened, but he was holding his head and moaning." Masaki bowed his head at the memory, remembering how Tetsuhiro wept at the pain. "A nurse came and sedated him. When we left, he was still asleep."

"They shouldn't have given him a mirror," Souichi said. "It was idiotic."

"That may be so, but at this point in time it's hard to deny Tetsuhiro anything," Masaki said evenly.

"You're the ones who are supposed to be thinking properly," Souichi volleyed back.

"Well, as your opinion is so valuable, you should've been there to give it, don't you think?"

Souichi scowled. "You don't know what it's like…"

"Don't I?"

Souichi shot up, goaded past endurance. "Shut up! Have you ever-He's forgotten me! Do you know what that's like?"

"And because he's forgotten you," Masaki said through gritted teeth, "You'll forget him, too?"

The other man looked away and bit his lip.

"I really pity Tetsuhiro if this is all he has for a lover," Masaki said. "I know you don't approve of me, but the feeling's mutual."

He rose and left, hoping that he had at least given Souichi some food for the thought.

* * *

Masaki's words were like salt to an open wound. It made him hurt more.

Souichi stayed in his chair, looking blankly at the ceiling. Was that bastard right? Was he abandoning Morinaga in his greatest need?

But Morinaga forgot about him!

Souichi closed his eyes. He knew, without anyone telling him, that if the situation had been reversed Morinaga would not leave him. Even if there came a time in the future when Souichi forgot him, or did not want him anymore, Morinaga would accept the outcome.

Five years…for five years Morinaga stayed at his side even though it must have hurt. All Morinaga asked for was to stay by his side.

And even when they Souichi finally found out about his feelings, it hadn't been smooth sailing, was it? In fact, it had gotten worse. Living together, getting to know his family…all the things that Morinaga did to enter his life, only to have a grouchy, short-tempered lover.

Honestly, he didn't know why Morinaga liked him so much. Was the man a masochist?

Of course, if Morinaga was a masochist, he would be the sadist in this relationship. He had a sudden and very disturbing image of himself in a revealing black leather monstrosity with a scantily clad Morinaga. It very effectively killed his reflective mood.

Souichi turned brick red, and flopped face down on the table. He wondered if he would ever be able to erase that picture from his mind.

* * *

"What happened to you?" were the first words out of Kanako's mouth when she saw her brother the next day.

"Never mind," mumbled Souichi, moving to take her luggage. Her brother had eye bags that seemed to take up half his face. His eyes were red rimmed. She'd wanted to ask about Morinaga but it seemed that Souichi needed more mothering than he did.

"Have you been crying? Kanako asked, softening. Poor nii-san…

"I most certainly have not been crying!" roared Souichi, flailing her bags and nearly braining a passer-by. He had barely gotten any sleep last night-that was why he looked like the undead.

"Calm down, Nii-san," Kanako said quickly, raising her hands in surrender. "A-Anyway, how's Tet-chan?"

Souichi fell silent, his burst of energy gone. "I…I think you better stay away from the hospital, Kanako."

"What? This again? I've been visiting every weekend-oh no, don't tell me he's worse?" Kanako gasped. "But you told me he woke up! Nii-san?"

Souichi avoided answering by hailing a taxi. Kanako had to pester him through six streets' worth of traffic before he caved in and told her what happened: it was difficult for Souichi to talk about.

"He…he's…what?"

"That's why I said…don't come to the hospital until he regains his memory."

"No," Kanako said, recovering fast. "Is this why you haven't emailed me anything about Tet-chan since the day before yesterday? Have you been visiting him at all?"

"I…uh, I…"

What was he supposed to tell her? _"Well, I was the one who found out about that pervert having amnesia, because he couldn't remember me. I've been driving myself crazy ever since so I haven't been visiting Morinaga. Oh, and his ex-boyfriend visited me last night, telling me to get my ass back to the hospital. But I won't. Do I look like a damn masochist to you?"_

She was sympathetic, not having the ability to read his mind. Kanako placed her hand over Souichi's. She knew how hard it had been to wait-it had been hard on them all. This amnesia was the hardest blow. Her brother had been good enough at sticking by his family no matter what, and Kanako had come to think of Morinaga as part of their family. "He needs us, doesn't he?"

* * *

Great. First Masaki and now Kanako. What was it with all the guilt trips?

The worst thing was, he couldn't negate either of their statements, knowing they were true.

"I know that. I know that, but still-I don't think I can see him right now." He watched for Kanako's reaction, slightly panicky. "I don't know how to answer if he asks me who I am."

Kanako giggled. "Just tell him the truth."

"Stupid."

In the end, Kanako understood that Souichi wouldn't be joining her in visiting Morinaga, though she told him that it was only this once. "Tomorrow I'll make you come with me!"

So now he had a deadline. While Kanako visited Morinaga, he went out to the park, unsure what to do. He smoked all of three cigarettes when someone came and sat next to him on the bench.

Isogai.

"If you're going to try and make me visit Morinaga, two others had already beat you to it," Souichi spoke to the empty air, not facing Isogai.

Isogai smiled-not that Souichi could see. "Actually, it's not that. Morinaga-kun has begun to recognize people."

* * *

Souichi walked down the hallways as fast as he could without actually running, cursing when the elevator was slow. He'd barely heard anything that Isogai said after that-something about warning Souichi not to rush things with Morinaga, or Souichi would make him worse.

Of course he wouldn't make Morinaga worse! Who did Isogai think he was? He would never, ever-

But he had to know. What did Morinaga remember?

He reached the corridor outside Morinaga's room, but then paused to catch his breath. Snippets of conversation filtered through the partially open door.

"…tomorrow evening. I'll be staying at your place." Kanako's voice.

There was an answering whisper, but Souichi couldn't hear it. He cautiously peeked through the gap to see Morinaga surrounded by Kunihiro, Masaki, and Kanako.

"Do you want to rest? The nurse told me you've been up since seven," Masaki said.

…Masaki. Souichi's jaw clenched in anger. He supposed it was too much to hope that Masaki had gone, it was still the weekend after all.

But wait, since seven? It was nearly eleven now. Was Morinaga okay? Shouldn't he be resting?

He couldn't see Morinaga from this angle, but he could see Masaki clearly. Kunihiro and Kanako were seated at the small table, eating lunch, while Masaki had obviously finished his. Masaki was looking down at Morinaga tenderly, a faint smile hovering at the corners of his mouth.

All of a sudden Souichi didn't want to be visiting Morinaga while Masaki was there. He'd not minded Kunihiro nor Kanako…he could even put up with Isogai. But seeing the way that Masaki looked at Morinaga was too much-none of the others were Morinaga's old boyfriend.

And couldn't stand it if Isogai was somehow wrong-if Morinaga had remembered the others but not him.

Even if Morinaga did remember him, Souichi didn't want an audience to see how he, Souichi would react. Sometime Souichi could not predict even his own actions.

But he wanted privacy. He wanted Morinaga to himself, when that happened.

Wasn't that understandable?

Souichi slipped back into the corridor where he came from, and if he was aware that he was only running away, he did not allow himself to think of it.

* * *

_He dreamed that he was naked underwater. _

_It was strange, because though he was underwater, he was completely alone. Nothing but water around him and above him. There was no one else here. No sound, but there was light coming from above-sunlight? His nudity did not bother him because there was nobody else here. It did make him feel somewhat defenceless though._

_He could not tell whether he was at the bottom of the sea, a lake, or just a swimming pool. Morinaga walked on, unsure what else to do. _

_He had a feeling he'd been walking a long, long time. _

_But it was lonely, walking like this. What if he suffocated? He still needed air, didn't he? _

_Suddenly he was struck by a thought. What if, just- what if-he was here because he'd been left behind? Someone had left him…and, he, foolishly thinking that they would come back, still searched for that person. But that person was never coming back, because he'd done something unforgiveable-_

_He wanted to say sorry. To apologize. Whatever it was, he could not take another minute, another second, of this crippling isolation. _

_It was odd how quickly the random thought became a certainty. He knew, instinctively, that he had been like that before. Not just once. He'd been left behind, because of something he did. He tried-really, he did- he tried not to bother anyone. To take the blame when he could. But people still left him so it must still not be enough._

_He raised his arms to cover his face, sinking down to his knees to hide. Were there people who would want him as he was? He was so imperfect, after all…_

_Then a hand descended on his shoulder. _

_Morinaga looked up, startled. There was a person above him- a man, he could see. This man's body was perfect-slender, but not fragile. The newcomer's face was shadowed, but a familiar voice issued from those lips:_

"_Stupid idiot, get up now!"_

_Morinaga knew this man, didn't he? But he didn't know his name. _

"_What are you waiting for?"_

_Why didn't he know his name? Morinaga stood up, to better see the stranger's face. He saw that the stranger was naked as well-the pale skin looked deliciously warm, and alive. This person was perfect. Perfect, from those thin fingers, that light-colored hair, to that cock that lay between his legs. Morinaga's breathing quickened. He knew this man. _

_But he couldn't remember his name. He did not know how to meet those eyes. Until he did, he could not come with him. Morinaga shook his head. _

_The man shook his head, too. "Moron," said the man harshly, with the slightest hint of affection in his voice. How did Morinaga know how to listen for it? _

_He didn't know this man's name because he never, not once, called him by his own name. Morinaga wanted to, though. The only thing that kept him was the thought of how angry this person would be if ever he did dare to call him by his given name. _

_This person was…the one who…_

"_Don't you know by now that you should stay by my side?"_

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Morinaga slept. His visitors were disappointed, but understood-all of them wished for Morinaga's recovery, after all.

Kunihiro and Masaki worked hard to keep Morinaga's temporary amnesia a secret. Based from what Kanako told him, Morinaga was able to remember who people were, and some details of how or why they met, but his memories remained largely incomplete.

Knowing Morinaga, he would just be upset that he could not remember people. They were trying to keep him from stressing his body any more than he already did-nobody wanted a repeat of the mirror incident.

Eventually, Morinaga's visitors lessened, then disappeared. People left him gifts- fruit baskets (never mind that Morinaga couldn't eat yet) and flowers. His co-workers brought him clothes-a light jacket and a blanket, for his comfort. It made Souichi embarrassed because he hadn't thought to give him anything.

Souichi had finally gotten some time alone with Morinaga in the late afternoon. Isogai had taken Kanako to their apartment. Kunihiro and Masaki were talking to some doctors. He had snuck in once he was sure that Masaki and Kunihiro weren't going to come in.

But Souichi was nearly asleep in his chair, not paying to the patient at all. He felt oddly at peace with Morinaga close by, even a Morinaga who was injured.

Every once in a while he glanced at Morinaga. He seemed peaceful, pain-free. Souichi wondered if he was having nice dreams.

Just as Souichi was deciding to fall asleep sitting up, Morinaga woke up. Just like that. It was similar to the time Morinaga asked him who he was-all of a sudden he was awake, Souichi never knew what triggered it.

Though Souichi saw that Morinaga's eyes were open, he did not say anything. Morinaga didn't speak, either.

After a few minutes, Souichi broke the silence. It galled him to speak first, but he had the feeling that Morinaga was content to simply look at him until he fossilized.

"Do you know who I am?" Souichi whispered.

"You're Senpai," came the immediate answer. Morinaga's voice was hoarse from sleep, but sure. Then he smiled.

Souichi laughed shakily. Warm, welcome relief was flooding through him, making him feel quite intoxicated. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry," Morinaga murmured. "I'm so sorry, Senpai."

"Quit crying. Kanako will scold me if I make you cry."

"I had a nice dream, you know," Morinaga told him. "It helped." Morinaga seemed to hesitate, then: "Di I keep you waiting?"

"You did. And if you apologize again I'm going to sock you."

"So you're still the same." Morinaga chuckled, then grimaced. "Ow."

Souichi scowled. "Quiet down, you idiot. Just rest. The sooner you're out of here, the better."

After that they were silent, both of them satisfied by the way things were. Morinaga held out his uninjured hand, and Souichi placed his hand over it. He was burning with questions-what exactly did Morinaga remember about him? How about the others?- but he held them in for Morinaga's sake.

Morinaga hummed low in his throat, a gesture that did not hurt him. Souichi looked away and smiled. As always, it did not take much to make Morinaga happy. He felt a bit proud of himself nonetheless.

There were only a few moments in their lives that they both considered perfect. They took time to relish it a little.

* * *

When the interruption came, it was unexpected. Unexpected because it was not a visitor, but a stork in a nurse's uniform.

Okay, so it wasn't a stork, Souichi amended. But it might as well have been, with that head full of pale red hair and gangly limbs. The stranger also had a wide smile on his face.

By the time that the stork had reached Morinaga's bedside, Souichi suspected that it wasn't a nurse, either. It ambled along with the perfect ease of one used to its height. It brought no clipboard-though Souichi noticed that it had a notepad tied in a cord around its neck.

A foreigner. Up close, the stranger had a long, thin nose and even white teeth. Its eyes were lovely, even from Souichi's point of view: they were huge, and the color of clear honey.

Morinaga and Souichi stared at the stork.

The stork stared back, smiling. "Hello, I'm Miura. Miura Peter." A pause, then: "I'm Morinaga-kun's speech therapist."

* * *

A/N: A couple of trivia for this chapter:

- If this story didn't get a lot of reviews, the story would have ended here. Seriously. But you guys have been so wonderful, I think I used up a lifetime's worth of luck to have you as my readers. ergo, I will be reborn into my next life as an earthworm. It;s official: this is my most reviewed story, thanks to you, lovely reader.

-Miura-kun (Peter the stork) will be pretty important in the next few chapters. He's an OC, if you're wondering if he's ever been in Tyrant before. i hope you'd like him, but as of now it's too early to tell.

I know I've been having Souichi act like an ass...I did it deliberately. Like him running away and preferring to blame Morinaga for everything.

Someone just attack me with banana-loving leprechauns for my attempt to:

- try and inject humor and romance in this chapter

- put in a water dream ala Freud (water dreams are sex dreams, or so I've read somewhere)

I couldn't even write the dream at work (where I write most of BB) for fear of blushing/ laughing.

Oh well. Darling, lovely readers:

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: Really?! Well, at least you won't have to use the "follow" alert, but please take out the surveillance cameras I'm sure you've installed into my house. Haha. I also used a dream in this chapter! You're partly right about the plot, but the way Souichi gets there is...a different sort of path. There'll be more cliffhangers! Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: Correct, too, but only partly, like Lady Tsuru27. I like to keep people guessing. By the way, I was just thinking-I wouldn't count on Souichi to nurse me if I have a cold-I might develop pneumonia in the end. Horrendous. Thanks for your review!

_**souichitatsumi**_: no, no. it'd be unfair and Souichi would probably end up either a) sending Morinaga back to ICU with one hit, or b)sending himself into the hospital for stress. But souichi REALLY doesn't like Masaki and can't stand to be in the same room as him...Thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: That made me laugh! The reference to what Souichi almost said to Kanako is credited to you. But Morinanag (sort of) remmebers Senpai now...thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: there'll be more to come-though Morinaga has remembered, him and Souichi have a long way to go. Don't go shooting off into the future yet...haha. Thanks for your review!

_**G. A-Motoharu**_: I don't care if you're mexican or an eskimo, i'm really happy to have you as a reader and a reviewer! Yes, it will be more exciting...in unexpected ways. Let's just say that I didn't choose the tags lightly. Hmmmm. Thanks for your review!

_**Hermina05**_: I think this'll last only up to only a dozen or so chapters...but who knows? I might write another tyrant story if I get a halfway decent idea...hope you didn't get too impatient waiting for this! thanks for your review!

_**hi**_: oh, are you in the asylum too? remind me to look you up...thanks for your review!

_**B. A. D-class**_: * pokes her with a long stick * Uhm, reader-san, Here's your new chapter...and thanks for your review!

_**blumunossido**_: you just made me hungry! here we use the garlic and onion sauteed in butter for a lot of dishes- my sister makes a mean carbonara, and I cook delicious chicken-mushroom stew...and I try to update every weeked, unless my brain is clogged by writer's block! haha. thanks for your review and the links you messaged me! Uzuki is so cute that he ought to have his own plushie!

_**Miny**_: Thanks! I hope you'll continue to follow this story (there's still lots to be excited and get worried about). Thanks for your review!

Thanks for all those who favorited and followed!THanks for

**Review, or all your meals will begin to taste like raw kind.  
**

See you in the next chapter, my lovelies!


	8. Diagnosis

A/N: For some reason, I really liked how this chapter turned out. I'm not sure why, unless it's because I reveal what the main conflict would be in here.

Disclaimer: I am not paid for this piece of work. Keep me away from drawing tyrant, or else you'll all have to make do with stick figures. Haha.

On a side note, how do stick figures do yaoi anyway?

* * *

First a rabbit and now a stork. Was this really a hospital or a zoo?

"N-nice to meet you, Miura-sensei," Morinaga said cautiously.

"Oh please, call me Peter," beamed the stork. "Everyone does. You'll be having an hourly session with me starting next week, from ten to eleven. Depending on your progress, we'll adjust your schedule. May I do a preliminary checkup?"

For all the notice Peter gave him, Souichi might as well have been the IV pole. Souichi noted with increasing annoyance that the stork had sat down when neither Morinaga nor Souichi had told him to.

"I…guess?" Morinaga stammered.

"Do you think you can handle sitting up?" Peter inquired.

"Don't know…"

"Okay, I'm going to try and crank you up a little. If you get dizzy you tell me, right?"

Morinaga nodded. Peter reached under the bed to push a button. The bed tilted upward a little-about fifteen degrees, then stopped.

"That okay?" Peter asked, looking down at Morinaga.

"Barely feel it," Morinaga confessed.

"That's going to be enough-you won't feel it now but if I try to go higher than this you will get dizzy. You've been stationary for half a month now. Try to get used to moving though, I expect that by Monday you'll have physical therapy as well. And you must be Tatsumi Souichi-san," said Peter, without the slightest pause. Souichi jumped at the abrupt shift in topic. "You look like you need rest."

"Stop telling me what to do," Souichi said testily.

Peter only laughed, seemingly unoffended. "That's fine then. Morinaga-kun, I'm going to have to touch you a little. Tell me where it hurts, yes?"

The stork had switched topics again. Morinaga and Souichi were more than a bit surprised at the change. Was he ADHD or something?

But now Peter's fingers were on Morinaga's face. "I hope this doesn't make you too uncomfortable, Morinaga-kun," Peter murmured. Peter had long, elegant fingers, like those of a pianist's. He probed the side of Morinaga's cheeks, not lingering on any area in particular. Now and then he asked soft questions: "Do you feel this? Is it the same for both sides? Does this hurt? Does it feel numb?"

Morinaga either said yes or no, depending on his questions. Souichi was relieved to see that Morinaga was at least alert enough to know which parts of him hurt.

Peter, for his part, only nodded and smiled at Morinaga's answers. There was nothing to give away what he thought of Morinaga's condition, and that was scary.

After a few minutes, the stork stopped his physical examination of Morinaga. Now he was asking Morinaga to move his lips this way, then that way, making Morinaga copy his expressions. It was almost funny, because they were making faces (simply put), but Morinaga failed to copy Peter eight times out of ten.

Souichi began to feel worried.

"Well," Peter said cheerfully, "I see why Dr. Uzuki wanted me to see you. So we'll be starting our sessions on Monday as usual-"

"Wait, how is he?" Souichi cut in. "You just did that test. Can't you tell us how he's doing?"

"Oh, I think that you can guess, Tatsumi-san! Morinaga-kun already knows, too. From what I know, neither of you lack the brains to figure it out, eventually. I'm afraid that hospital protocol dictates that I talk to Morinaga-san, though. Your brother," Peter added, shooting Morinaga a glance. "I know it may be hard, but try to put it out of your mind, for now. I'm going to find Morinaga-san right away so he can tell you if he wants to."

"Why can't you tell me?" Souichi said fiercely.

"Because you're not related to him, even if you are his lover," Peter drawled. He gave them one last smile, then ambled out the door.

* * *

Souichi was still in shock fifteen minutes later, when Kunihiro and Masaki returned to the room. Morinaga had been too out of it to realize that Peter had said something odd.

Damn it, was he that obvious?

"What happened to you?" Kunihiro asked Souichi.

"Nothing," Souichi said, already deciding that he if he had to freak out, it would have to be in the privacy of his home. "Nothing at all. Except-did you see the stork?"

"Stork?" Kunihiro repeated, puzzled.

What was his name again? Oh yeah…"Peter."

"Oh, yes." Kunihiro sobered. "He said that he'll need more tests to be sure, but it looks like-"

"Should we really be discussing this where Tetsuhiro can hear?" Masaki interrupted.

They all eyed Morinaga apprehensively, but Morinaga shook his head. "I think I want to know," he explained.

The three men shared a long look. Each of them in their own way had been trying to protect Morinaga from this-but was it still fair, given the circumstances?

"All right, Tetsuhiro," said Kunihiro with some reluctance. "Miura-sensei told us that you have some muscle weakness in your jaw, and in the general facial area. Your vocabulary doesn't seem to be affected, and you know the meanings of the things that you say. Miura-sensei says that it's a good sign, because it means that your brain's ability to create speech hasn't been affected. But you would definitely need to exercise your fine motor skills."

"Therapy?" Souichi translated.

Masaki nodded. "Miura-sensei also said that Morinaga ought to start physical therapy soon. He recommended someone-I can't remember who right now. I think you're also scheduled for a lot of tests this week, Tetsuhiro. Try and keep your strength up."

"I will, Masaki-san."

* * *

Kunihiro had been watching Masaki and Tetsuhiro interact with ever since the accident.

Souichi had also been watching, too. However, Kunihiro and Souichi interpreted it differently.

Souichi didn't like Masaki because, at one point in time, he hurt Tetsuhiro. Souichi blamed Kunihiro and Masaki for Tetsuhiro getting kicked out of Fukuoka.

_Well_, Kunihiro mused to himself, _I couldn't say he's wrong_.

But he hated Masaki more. Souichi believed, and rightly so, that a part of Tetsuhiro still loved Masaki. That love made Tetsuhiro vulnerable, and Souichi wanted to protect Tetsuhiro from it.

Kunihiro also knew what Souichi knew: that there was also a part of Masaki that loved Tetsuhiro. It was a bittersweet kind of love, the kind that might have worked at one time-but not now. Never again. They both had made their peace with it, Tetsuhiro and Masaki, and moved on.

Whatever happened in the future, Tetsuhiro and Masaki's relationship would be special. Sacred, almost. And this was how Kunihiro chose to see it-even if there was always that twinge of jealousy whenever he saw his Masaki with his brother. There was the look that Masaki had once given him-but he'd been too blind, too prejudiced to see it for what it was then.

And Tetsuhiro didn't need to fight, or change himself, for Masaki's affection. _That_ was the real reason why Masaki held a special place in Tetsuhiro's heart. Masaki discovered the secret of Tetsuhiro's homosexuality before anyone else…and accepted him for it. His little brother had always been afraid of rejection.

"I'll be going now," Souichi was saying, taking up his coat.

Tetsuhiro nodded. "You do look kind of bad, Senpai."

"Look who's talking," retorted Souichi. "Tomorrow, then."

Tetsuhiro looked happy to know that Souichi would be coming back tomorrow-that was normal. However, Kunihiro was taken aback when Souichi and Masaki exchanged a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"What did you do?" Kunihiro whispered to Masaki. Souichi was almost…friendly?

Masaki shook his head. "Just told him some things he already knew."

* * *

The apartment had been attacked by Kanako.

"Really, Nii-san," she scolded. "It's time you learned how to look after yourself. Did you know how long I've had to clean?"

"Sorry," Souichi said, stumbling to the couch. He was exhausted. But now that his little sister had been set loose on their apartment, he could actually see the floor. Hmm.

"You had nothing in your fridge, and I've had to wash all your clothes!" Kanako sighed. "Can you at least set the table?"

He stood up and grabbed a couple of plates. He always did table setting duty because Morinaga was usually the one cooking. It was practically the only house chore that he knew how to do.

"So did he remember you?" Kanako probed, poking a fried fish out of the pan.

"Yeah." Souichi smiled, remembering Morinaga's expression when he woke up that afternoon. It was rare that Morinaga looked like that-strong, confident, at peace with loving Souichi.

Kanako turned from her cooking to smile at him. "That's great, Nii-san! I'm sure he'll be back in no time."

"I think he needs to go in for therapy, though," he mumbled absently, scooping rice into bowls.

"Will that take long?" Kanako asked him.

"I don't know, Kanako, the stork wouldn't say."

"The stork? Who's the stork?"

"This creepy smiley-faced longshanks," Souichi grumbled.

"Who's the stork?" repeated Kanako patiently, obviously used to her brother's rants about people.

"His speech therapist. He said that Morinaga's muscles have gotten weak from the accident so he needs therapy. He said that Morinaga would need a physical therapist too."

Kanako looked thoughtful. "At least the hard part's over, isn't it?"

Souichi made a noncommittal noise, because that was exactly what he would be thinking, if he didn't feel that there was something else coming.

* * *

Souichi begged for an early night, since he could barely keep his eyes open. Kanako had to give in, but did the dishes while Souichi took a shower.

He caught her opening the door to Morinaga's room soon after that.

"What are you doing?" Souichi asked her sharply.

Kanako jumped at her brother's voice. He had never spoken to her like that. _Never. _And that look in his eyes… "Tet-chan said that I could sleep here."

"Well, sleep in my room instead. I'll sleep on the couch." He opened the door, obviously expecting her to follow. "Come on."

She followed her brother timidly, almost scared. There was something in Souichi that warned her not to bring up the topic again.

Isogai had taken her to this apartment earlier-he had even helped her clean some of it. But Isogai didn't go to either of the bedrooms, so she had been the one to do it.

She'd entered (trespassed) into both her brothers' rooms when they still lived at the old house. She didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it-they were siblings, after all. She supposed it would be different if she'd had sisters instead of brothers.

Souichi's room had looked pretty much the same as the one he had in their old house-her eldest brother could be quite methodical in some ways. And it was neater than the rest of the flat.

Morinaga's room, however, was new. He had a big bed- big enough for two, just like the one in her brother's room. But that was where the similarities ended.

Morinaga had a study in the corner-a computer, complete with a printer and scanner. The room had a shelf full of books with topics that ranged from chemistry to cooking. She'd expected that: but she didn't expect a small wooden rack of wine bottles. There were tags on the bottles: "College graduation", "Hiroto's birthday gift", "Reunion with Masaki-san". Stuff like that.

There was only one bottle she recognized: a green one with a maple leaf on the label. The tag read, "Senpai's gift from Canada ".

She smiled when she saw it, in her face and in her heart. It was just like Morinaga to treasure something her nii-san had given.

She also remembered something that Isogai had said when he first entered the apartment with her: "It doesn't smell like he's been smoking in here."

And that alone spoke volumes about how much Souichi missed Morinaga. Kanako cared for Morinaga-loved him, as an older brother, but Souichi's feelings for Morinaga had always been something else. Something that had changed her brother.

She supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised that Souichi didn't want her to sleep in Morinaga's room. But maybe she should tell Tet-chan in the morning.

Kanako fell asleep with a smile, already anticipating Morinaga's reaction.

* * *

The next day, on the afternoon as Kanako was leaving, she presented a gift of her own for Morinaga: a charm pouch for "healing and recovery".

Morinaga seemed happy to receive it. "I'll treasure it always," he promised her. "Thank you, Kanako."

"Get better soon, Tet-chan."

Masaki was right behind Kanako-they'd agreed to ride together to the station, though they were going on separate trains. "I wish I'd thought to give you a gift, too," Masaki said wistfully.

Morinaga shook his head, though that action made him feel dizzy. "I'm glad you're here, Masaki-san."

"All right, that's enough," Souichi interrupted with a scowl. Masaki only smiled.

Morinaga smiled, too.

* * *

When Souichi looked back on it, however, he should've known that it wouldn't last.

The trouble began as early as Monday, when Morinaga's physical therapist arrived. She was a small woman by the name of Saitou Kaida. She had short black hair and deep brown eyes.

"We'll take it slowly, Morinaga-kun," she said. She pressed a side button on Morinaga's bed, and he began to rise.

Morinaga closed his eyes, the change in position making him woozy. He slumped to his side.

"OI!" Souichi shouted, startled.

Saitou shot him a look, then hurried forward. She had stopped the bed from rising. "Can you make it?"

Morinaga didn't answer for a few moments. Then he said, "I can."

"Can you hold your head up?"

"Don't think so…too dizzy…"

Saitou was silent for a few seconds, while they waited for Morinaga to calm down. At last she said, "Have you had any CT scans yet, Morinaga-kun?"

"No."

She nodded, as if that was expected. "I'll go and check your schedule. They may have asked me to come to you too early."

She let Morinaga lie flat on the bed again, then turned to the exit. However, she hadn't even gotten through the door when Peter came in, looking as sunny as ever.

"Ah, Saitou-san!" Peter exclaimed. "We'll be working together?"

Saitou smiled. "Good morning, Peter-kun. Have you seen Dr. Uzuki?"

Peter paused. He looked at Morinaga and Souichi, then back to Saitou-san. "He's on his way."

Saitou nodded in appreciation, then left. Peter came closer to Morinaga and Souichi.

"I thought you said ten," Souichi complained. "It's only eight thirty."

"The session before yours was cancelled," Peter explained. "How come your session with Saitou-san is cancelled too?"

"Scheduled CT scan," Morinaga told him.

Peter made a noise of understanding. "Did she try to plop you into a wheelchair?"

"Tried to," Morinaga admitted. "Too dizzy, though."

Peter lost his smile. He sat down in a chair again (without being asked!). He laced his fingers together, apparently thinking hard. His eyes were far away.

Souichi and Morinaga exchanged a bewildered look. Before Souichi could demand an explanation, Peter snapped back.

He reached out and covered Morinaga's uninjured ear with his hand. Very carefully, he moved some bandages from Morinaga's head so that most of his right ear was exposed. Now, Morinaga could only hear with one ear.

"Can you hear me?" Peter murmured.

"Uhm…What?" Morinaga replied.

"Henny Penny, the sky is falling," Peter said.

Morinaga shook his head, to indicate that he didn't understand. Souichi began to feel the first threads of real fear.

Had Morinaga gone deaf in one ear?

They could live with that, Souichi assured himself. Morinaga could hear just fine with his other ear. No one had even noticed, save Peter, and Souichi couldn't really understand how he did.

Peter peeled the bandages back over Morinaga's right ear. He also released the other ear, so that Morinaga could hear again.

Before Peter could explain his actions, Dr. Uzuki and Saitou returned to the room, with two nurses wheeling a bed between them. "Good morning, Morinaga-kun," Dr. Uzuki said. "We'll be having a CT scan first."

The two nurses and Saitou immediately loaded the still-confused Morinaga onto the bed. "Try not to fall asleep, Morinaga-kun," Saitou said. "This will be over quickly."

As they went out of the room, Souichi saw Peter dart towards Dr. Uzuki. The stork only said, "I'll call my father."

* * *

The CT scan went off without a hitch. Morinaga also did a hearing test, and a test for his reflexes. All of these were conducted while he was lying down, with Saitou-san nearby. Souichi and Morinaga began to relax somewhat, especially when Kunihiro arrived.

Peter did not return for his session. Instead, there was an old doctor-nearly as tall as Peter-who introduced himself as Dr. Miura. He was also Peter's father, htough they had nothing in common except for that height. He had a calming presence, even though he stayed over for only a few minutes.

"I'm very sorry," Dr. Miura said. "We're running some tests to see why you get dizzy when you get up. Morinaga-san, I know you're confused, but the results would be done by evening. "

"Damn right we're confused," muttered Souichi. Morinaga had fallen asleep with all the excitement of the morning.

Dr. Miura smiled, briefly amused. "There's no point in scaring you without proof. But really, you're lucky to have Peter. Without him it might take longer to figure out what's wrong."

When evening came, Dr. Uzuki gathered Kunihiro and Souichi into the same room where Kunihiro first met the doctor. Kunihiro was the only one invited to come, as he was Morinaga's closest relative, but Kunihiro had wanted Souichi to come along. Kunihiro said that Souichi deserved it.

Souichi should have been happy about that, but right now he couldn't give a flying fuck about it, because he was worried.

Souichi was even more alarmed when they arrived only to find that Peter and Dr. Miura were already in the room. Father and son were talking seriously, but looked up with identical distracted expressions when they came into the room.

Why did they need three doctors?

"Oh…" Peter said, standing up and offering his seat to Dr. Uzuki. The smaller doctor nodded, but it was Dr. Miura who first spoke.

"I don't think I've introduced myself properly this morning," he began. "I actually specialize in ENT. Peter called me this morning about Morinaga-kun's condition. He suspected that Morinaga-kun's ear was damaged in the accident.

"Peter tested if Morinaga-kun still had hearing on his right ear. It was an informal test, but it confirmed what the more sophisticated hearing tests told us: Morinaga-kun has lost hearing in his right ear. I suspect his eardrums were damaged."

"But he can still live normally, right?" Kunihiro cut in.

"In the matter of his ear, yes. But the inner ear is also the center for balance, which is why Morinaga-kun feels dizzy when he tries to sit or stand. His sense of balance is off."

"What does that mean?" Souichi asked. "Will he be able to…sit? Stand?"

"Well, now that we know what's wrong, we know what to do," Dr. Miura said. "Like Dr. Uzuki said, he needs physical therapy, but we'll need to go carefully because of his condition."

There was a brief, but deep silence as Souichi and Kunihiro absorbed his words. "Tell us the truth, doctor," Kunihiro demanded. "Can he fully recover?"

Dr. Miura bowed his head. "More recovery, almost certainly. Full recovery? I don't know. Balance is not something that a person can easily recover."

* * *

A/N: * rolls around happily * I think I can safely say that we're at least halfway.

I try to research on my planned plots. I considered and rejected the following:

-amnesiac Morinaga (too predictable, you'll know how it ends ten chapters before)

-blind/ any permanent injury Morinaga (too hard, he'll be dependent on Souichi for life)

- depressed Morinaga (too medical. readers might get bored.)

I like to keep people guessing, and to keep things happening: the previous chapter was more of a breather. It's not a coincidence I called it "corner of calm".

Here's another trivia: I don't really know how this would end. I have ideas, but I'm thinking about two possible ones in particular. Or three. It's actually pretty rare that I'm like this. Usually I start the story knowing how it would end.

And, and, and! I'm really happy that there are people who are curious about Peter. I love him mainly because he acts like he's on constant smile mode, but I can't really predict how he thinks. He only has a small role here, though.

_**To my lovely reviewers: You just make me want to write better! **_

_**kayitt**_: I love Souichi too! I love to mess him up! XD Thanks for your review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: Your dedication to review has me awed. I'm glad you liked the last chapter-this is one of the few fan fics that I willingly tagged as a romance. I am not the most romantic soul, and anything too sappy won't feel like Tyrant-for one, Souichi would protest. THAT guy is seriously more anti-romance than I am. I'm more of the kind who would jab jokes at S&M. Haha. Poor Souichi, I'd bet the image will turn up at the oddest moments. thanks for your review!

_**G.A-Motoharu**_: Yeah, a lot of people don't like Masaki-it's understandable. I don't like him as a person either, but as a writer, he's interesting. He's trying to be a good person now. NO, there won't be a love triangle with Peter (too typical for a plot), but you can bet that he'll be in both Souichi and Morinaga's minds. Thanks for your review!

**_Amity33_**: In the first BB chapter, people told me that I got Souichi OOC. That's why comments like yours make me so happy! I seriously came close to strangling Souichi a few times, though. Even in my mind, he's a certified tsundere. Thanks for your review!

_**Miny**_: Now I feel bad, because I think you'll feel worried about Morinaga in this chapter! We'll see how he does in therapy. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: Really? I do? You're one of my reviewers, so you contributed too! Aw, that scene was difficult to write without blushing! I was smiling at my PC (good thing people weren't passing by, or they'd have asked me what I was smiling at...) Thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: No, no, the stork is a nice guy...erm...categorically speaking. I mean he isn't an ax murderer or anything. But yeah, I think Souichi already watches him...which, I think, will only make Peter happier. Ah, well, Senpai never knows when people are just toying with him. Thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: Wow, that's a huge wish. Unless you want their children to be rabbits, too, I don't see how they can have 50. Haha. Thanks for your review!

_**M. mon**_: No, the amnesia thing is just temporary, because writing amnesiac Morinaga is too difficult...I think the plot will be fairly predictable, too. Thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: Welcome to BB! There's still more to come, I assure you. thanks for your review!

_**blumunosido**_: I wish they'd translate the raws faster. XD But I ca re-read the previous ones when I'm bored. And yes, the stork is in reference to the fact that Peter is too tall. Hm, but him taking Morinaga away doesn't seem like a bad idea, too. I'd search for that pasta for this weekend lunch if I can! I'll try not to burn down the house. Haha. Thanks for your review!

_**inuyasha.33**_: Now Morinaga needs support for therapy! Well, I'm not sure how Souichi would support him...probably by * trying * not to injure him more. Thanks for your review!

_**The review button is dancing butt naked. Help it by clicking and leaving a review. **_

**Ah! this is the longest chapter so far...another reason to review...**


	9. Forward Fall

A/N: So, to my readers who are still in school: How were the exams? Or should I just shut up? XD

Okay, just wanted to explain: In hospitals, you can take out the IV drip while keeping the main needle in your vein. They can inject medicine through a tube from the other end. I'm not really sure how to explain it better, but this was what happened when I stayed in a hospital last year. i tell you this because of something Peter says.

Disclaimer: Although the story is a great stress reliever, I am not always a rational human being. I bite burgers.

* * *

Tuesday was not a usual day for beginnings, but for Morinaga, it just became one.

Tuesday was the day that Saitou Kaida arrived for his first day in rehabilitation-although on that first day, Saitou said that she would only try and get him into a wheelchair. It was harder than he thought it would be-almost impossible. It took them half an hour just to wheel him out of the room. Morinaga supposed that it was a good thing that he still couldn't eat, because he would've thrown up if there was anything in his stomach.

Saitou assured him that most of his dizziness only came from lying on his back for more than two weeks. That first day, she took him around the hospital grounds. Kunihiro came with them, and Saitou was kept busy explaining why regular walks would help Morinaga's physical therapy.

"The sunshine will do you good, Morinaga-kun," Saitou said.

Morinaga nodded. Perhaps it was because it was the first time he'd been outside in weeks. "Will I need the wheelchair for good?"

"That depends on how well you do in therapy." Saitou replied. "Let's work hard together, ne?"

* * *

Tuesday was also the day for discoveries. Peter came at ten, and guided him through a set of simple exercises for his facial muscles.

"This works best when you practice, Morinaga-kun," Peter told him. "In speech therapy, you don't need to sit or stand, you can do these exercise lying down. I'm not saying that you should wear yourself out, but try to form a habit of doing the exercises. By the way, aren't you getting hungry? You can drink, you know."

"We didn't know that," Kunihiro said, sounding surprised.

"Dr. Uzuki just told me. It was about time anyway. Listen, when your drip finishes they'll take it off-it's hard to do physical therapy when you have an IV on you, anyway. But you'll keep that needle in your vein for the medication. You have to eat. You'll need your strength, between Kaida and Dr. Uzuki and me, we'll be keeping you pretty busy. But you can only drink. I'd recommend fruit shakes. Nothing cold, we don't want you sick, but you can have soups. You can have food, too, but it'll have to be the ones that you can eat without chewing. I don't want to leave you eating mashed potatoes for the rest of your stay here, though."

Peter wrote something down on the notepad around his neck, and tore it off. "This is the brand name of a good blender. You can make your food right here. I'd say you have enough fruit baskets to supply a grocery store, so that won't be a problem at least. The nurses will bring you food to eat, but they're going to be pretty bland-trust me."

Kunihiro took the slip of paper. "Thank you. Dr. Miura."

"No, call me Peter. Both my parents work in this hospital as doctors, so it'll be pretty confusing if you keep calling me that." Peter laughed briefly, his eyes warm.

"Your mother's a doctor too?" Morinaga breathed in astonishment. It did explain a lot.

"Yes, a psychiatrist. Don't worry; I won't insist that you see her."

Morinaga frowned, not relishing the thought. He wouldn't actually need one, would he?

What Morinaga actually asked was, "Where's Senpai?"

"He said that he needed to talk with a professor," Kunihiro answered. "He'll be here during lunch."

"Oh." Morinaga smiled, instantly feeling better.

"I'll be leaving now, Morinaga-san, Morinaga-kun. Do those exercises." Peter rose and left.

* * *

Souichi knew that he had a tendency to simply ignore the things that he didn't want to think about.

The shining example would be, of course, Morinaga. It was amazing how the younger man had managed to be a part of Souichi's life for the past five years mostly beneath Souichi's notice. Honestly, anyone with eyes could have seen how Morinaga felt for him.

And yet he chose to ignore it. At first it could've been explained away as trauma after that professor nearly molested him (he certainly wasn't in any fit state to worry about anyone else back then), but as time passed he just got…used to it. Got used to how Morinaga would be the first to volunteer to assist his projects, how Morinaga would follow him like a puppy.

It was a clever plan, Souichi thought grouchily. Souichi never had too many friends, his personality prevented that. Morinaga, alone out of everyone around him, ventured to get to know him better.

He had liked it, the hesitant friendship with Morinaga. It wasn't long before Morinaga was irreplaceable.

Then: shock. Morinaga was gay. More to the point, a gay in love with him. Afterwards they slept together and still Souichi wasn't able to let go of Morinaga.

It defied all sense. He hated homosexuals but…he wanted Morinaga to stay with him.

_Look at me now_, Souichi thought gloomily.

He'd decided not to think about his relationship with Morinaga for a while now, choosing to just go with the flow. But this was different. Why would he worry so much about Morinaga? Why was he so affected by his accident? This was a…a special kind of regard that he had never bestowed on any person outside his family.

Souichi slumped to the desk and buried his face into his arms. Perhaps he still had some of that aphrodisiac in his system…though as a chemist he didn't know of any drug that stayed in the human system for more than one year…

"Tatsumi-san? Are you all right?"

He shot up so quickly he hurt his neck. "Yanagi-sensei?"

The older man smiled. "I'm sorry for calling you out. I know you're worried about Morinaga-kun. You two have always been close. How is he?"

Souichi could take a couple of hours answering that question, but Yanagi-sensei didn't need to hear that. "Uh, he's fine. He's starting physical therapy this week."

"That's good to hear," Yanagi-sensei said. He was one of those professors who knew Morinaga and cared for him-Yanagi-sensei had even visited him a couple of times in the hospital.

"Yeah." _But he's deaf in one ear and he's damaged his sense of balance, so we don't know whether he'll ever walk again_, Souichi added mentally. He suppressed a wince.

"I've been looking at your projects for the past few months. How long would it be until you finish your doctorate?"

"You already know, Sensei," Souichi said. "Hopefully, in the fall."

"Got any plans after to get your Ph.D?"

"None, yet."

"Hmmm. Well, then, won't you consider teaching here?"

"What?"

"Teaching," repeated Yanagi-sensei. "Your assistants admire you, and they turn out to be successful in their fields. I'd like to see you share your expertise to a wider group of people."

Him, a teacher? "Sensei, I don't think I'm qualified-"

"Oh, your students will be Master's students, not the younger ones," Yanagi-sensei assured him. "They're more mature. It's really not that different from what you're doing now. You can teach one class for starters, three times a week."

Souichi stared at Yanagi-sensei. Him, teaching? He had zero social skills, he could easily bankrupt the University when students quit his class because of his abrasiveness. "Are you serious?"

Yanagi-sensei burst out laughing. "If you could see your face. Yes, I'm serious. Think about it, my boy. I know you're not the easiest person to get along with, but it wouldn't be too late to learn how."

Souichi sighed. The old professor had a point but still…"I'll think about it."

It was just the perfect distraction from Morinaga's condition.

* * *

The next day, Saitou brought Morinaga to the physical therapy room. Morinaga was frustrated because all he'd been able to do was to stand for about five seconds (even with the bars). HIroto had come with him that morning, more than happy to push "Angel-kun"'s wheelchair for his morning walk.

"You're too hard on yourself," Saitou scolded him, as she gently placed him back into the wheelchair. "Your body is recovering, Morinaga-kun, RECOVERING. It's expected that you need time to get used to this. And your body will appreciate it if you don't stress it out more." She thought for a second. "Dr. Uzuki and Peter would say the same, too."

"She's right, Angel-kun," Hiroto said, patting Morinaga's hand. "If you rush it you might get more injured."

"Your arm's still broken, too," Saitou added, letting Hiroto wheel Morinaga back into his room. "That makes it harder for you to stay upright."

"You have amazing strength, Saitou-san," Hiroto told the tiny therapist. It didn't seem difficult for her to haul Morinaga around, and he was practically twice her size.

Saitou smiled. "Part of the job description. Now, I need to get you back to bed for Peter."

HIroto and Saitou helped Morinaga to his bed. Morinaga had stubbornly refused to be carried, and Saitou conceded that it would be all right, as long as they didn't pull on his other injuries.

"How long will my physical therapy last, Saitou-san?" Morinaga asked.

She shook her head. "There's no time period, Morinaga-kun. I'm sorry, I know you will tire of hearing this. It depends on a lot of things. There's no straight answer."

Morinaga grimaced. Was this going to be his life? His _life_?

He didn't know if he could stand it.

"Morinaga-kun, you're overthinking things again," Saitou said. "You will recover. You have to believe that. It's the first step to healing. Believe in yourself."

* * *

When Peter arrived, fifteen minutes later, Hiroto and Morinaga were having a quiet conversation about the merits of self-confidence. Morinaga had never really believed in himself, but it was crucial to his recovery.

"Hello, Morinaga-kun," chirped Peter. "Have you done your exercises?"

"A little, Sensei," Morinaga said sheepishly.

Beside him, unnoticed by Morinaga, Hiroto was staring at Peter.

"Hmm-how do you mean, a little?" Peter inquired, raising his eyebrows. "How long?"

"About…an hour?"

The redhead tsk'ed. "Too little. Try doing it for five minutes at intervals throughout the day." Peter turned to Hiroto. "Hello, Yama."

"Peter…You're Miura, right? I didn't know that you worked here," Hiroto said, stunned.

"You know each other?" Morinaga said, looking amazed.

"We were friends in high school," Hiroto explained quickly. "A-Anyway, Angel-kun, I just remembered something I needed to do. I'll see you later."

"What-but-okay…" Morinaga said, completely bewildered. Did Hiroto just stutter?

Peter didn't say anything, only inclined his head in Hiroto's direction as the bartender fled. He didn't even seem surprised.

"Now, Morinaga-kun, the exercises. Can you-"

"Why was Hiroto so upset?"

Peter regarded him for a minute. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No."

"All right, then. We were friends in high school. He confessed to me, and I rejected him." Peter frowned. "I must say, I didn't think he'd still react like that."

"He…what? Hiroto confessed to you?"

Morinaga sounded so incredulous that Peter laughed. "Unbelievable?" teased Peter. "Am I not attractive?"

Morinaga blushed a little. "No, it's not that, it's only-"

"Never mind, Morinaga-kun," soothed Peter. "It was a long time ago."

Apparently not long enough, if HIroto's reaction was any indication, thought Morinaga. Then he remembered something that made his heart seize up. "Are you…Do you hate gays?"

After all, even Senpai hated gays…he forgot that not everyone were as willing to change their mind. What would happen if even the people who were treating him looked at him with disgust?

"What? No," Peter answered, sounding as if Morinaga had just told him to live in the Bermuda Triangle. "No. I could only see him as a friend. That's why I rejected him."

"You're gay, then, as well?"

Unfortunately Peter found that really funny. The redhead burst out laughing, so heartily that Morinaga was embarrassed. "I'm as straight as a ruler."

Morinaga was confused. "Then, why-"

"Why what?"

"Why did he confess to you?"

Peter stopped laughing. "Why do people confess to anyone?"

"But you rejected him."

"Yes." Peter sensed that it wasn't about him and Hiroto anymore. "Sometimes things don't go that well."

"Did you reject him because he was a man?"

Peter paused, looking contemplative. "Morinaga-kun, you are you and I am me. We're in different situations. It's not wise to look at my opinions as Tatsumi-san's."

He saw through Morinaga too easily. Perhaps it was because Peter knew how their situation was.

"If you need love-advice, Yama will be more patient than I am," snorted Peter.

"Yeah, I know."

"Now, those exercises…"

Later it occurred to Morinaga that Peter never answered his question at all. _Did you reject him because he was a man?_

* * *

"Morinaga-kun was looking for you," were the first words out of Dr. Uzuki's mouth when he saw Souichi later that afternoon.

Souichi gave a rather intelligent "Ungh." He had been pacing inside his laboratory for the most part of the day, weighing the pros and cons of accepting Yanagi-sensei's offer.

Now even the rabbit doctor knew something was going on between him and Morinaga. Just fucking peachy.

He brushed past the doctor and headed straight to Morinaga's room. For an instant he felt that this was all wrong: he should not be this familiar with a hospital. The last time that he went into one-before Morinaga's accident-was during his mother's illness.

Souichi sighed. Why was he thinking about it now? It had been ten years ago.

Morinaga was asleep when he arrived inside. He spent more time asleep these days, because therapy turned him.

Kunihiro was also in, staring out the window, looking upset. He turned to Souichi as soon as he walked in the door.

"Souichi-"

Souichi frowned at the overly familiar term. But before he could correct Kunihiro, his phone rang.

"Excuse me," he muttered. A swift glance at the caller ID revealed Tomoe's name. Why was Tomoe calling him?

_No, don't tell me…_

Souichi ducked into a nurse's station.

"Nii-san?"

It was Tomoe, all right.

"Hey, Tomoe. What's the matter? Can I go kill Kurokawa now?"

There was an incredible amount of noise in the background. Souichi could barely hear his little brother reply, "No you may not! Kanako and Isogai-san told us that Morinaga-san's been injured. Why haven't you told us?"

"I-what? Kanako and Isogai told you?"

"Yes. How is he?"

"He's fine now."

"Really? That's good. Can we see him?"

"No!"

"Why not? We like Morinaga-kun. Isn't he your lover?"

"HE IS NOT MY LOVER!" Souichi roared, so loudly that every nurse in the station glared at him. Hastily lowering his voice, he repeated, "He's not my lover."

"Really? Then what is he?"

"If I knew that, I-I-" spluttered Souichi. "Anyway, don't come, or I really will murder your husband!"

"But he wants to visit Morinaga-kun too."

"You stay there, Tomoe. I mean it."

There was a long pause. Souichi strained his ears through the noise from his phone. Where was Tomoe? Were they already at the airport?

Finally Tomoe spoke. "Nii-san, even if you say that…we've already arrived."

Souichi's jaw dropped as he heard an announcement through his brother's phone: "Thank you for flying with Air Japan. Flight 719 from New York to Tokyo has landed at exactly 1645hours, Tokyo Standard time."

* * *

Souichi returned to Morinaga's room, still rather rattled. Tomoe and that good-for-nothing Kurokawa would be arriving tomorrow. Tomorrow! They would be staying in Tokyo for tonight and head to Nagoya in the morning.

What the hell was he supposed to do? He just knew that Morinaga would love a visit from those two. Short of dismembering Kurokawa, Souichi doubted whether he could prevent them from visiting.

Damn it! Just what did he do to be put in this situation? He was already worried over Morinaga-a visit from Tomoe and Kurokawa would send him straight into cardiac arrest!

Kunihiro was waiting. "Bad news?"

"Nrgh…Not…Maybe. My little brother's going to visit Morinaga."

Kunihiro blinked. "Oh…did you mean the one with a husband?"

Souichi glared at him. "Yeah."

"But you said they live in America, right?"

"Yeah," huffed Souichi. "They got worried, so they're coming. "

Kunihiro gripped his phone, "Well, it seems that we're going to meet each other's families."

"What?"

"Our parents just called. They're coming tomorrow, too."

* * *

A/N: So, two visits from two families. *shudders * I think I fear for the Morinaga couple. Ah, and Kurokawa. Should he run?

There's also some food for the thought for Morinaga and Souichi, which are completely unrelated to the accident. I'm trying to shift focus on how "life goes on" despite the accident. Believe me, I wouldn't want to get taught by someone like Souichi either...I'm afraid he'll start to throw the laser pointer when he gets irritated. XD Or a chair.

Ah, on why Peter calls Hiroto "Yama"- Hiroto's full name is Yamaguchi Hiroto. I didn't know it either until I searched for it. From what I know of Hiroto's story, he did fall in love with someone who didn't return his feelings, a straight man, I think. (if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.)

My lovely reviewers:

_**Hermina05**_: I know that feeling. When I read a book I really like while I'm out in public, I usually end up wearing this creepy smile. I can't help it. And on your question whether Morinaga would be okay-that depends on what you mean by okay...physically,mentally, emotionally, etc...because there are many half-lies when you ask if a person's okay. It makes for an interesting perspective...Thanks for your review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: I did research on the exercises for those who damage their sense of balance-it's really quite extensive, like you wouldn't believe. Most of them are things that normal people do easily. But mostly, therapy helps. And on Peter...thanks for that! I explained his character a bit in here. I mean, Masaki already is the "rival" and Isogai is the "annoying person" in the manga, so I was thinking that Peter can't be either of those...thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: Yes, it was me! Haha. usually I'm too lazy to log in unless I'm releasing a chapter, so I go around with that name. And on Peter, I don't know, would you worry about him? He's not a rival, but he could be a threat to their relationship in a different way...thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: If it is on patience, it REALLY will be a trial for Souichi. And those around him as they try to be patient with Souichi too. * laughs * I try to look for medical references, that's why it's realistic. And I didn't want any common injury, it'll be boring! thanks for your review!

_**Miny**_: Next chapter I'll try to portray Tomoe and Kurokawa accurately. I'm already excited. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: I receive your love and make it into super glittery confetti. Then I throw them around to cheer me up! I hope I'm keeping up with your expectations. here is your next chapter-enjoy! thanks for your review!

**Tell me what you thought of this chapter! Reviews will prevent zombie invasion.**


	10. Family Feud

A/N: What was I going to say...? Oh yeah. I'm not prejudiced against LGBT. I wouldn't be writing this if I were. But please note that some people might find this chapter...antagonizes homosexuals? I'm not sure. Maybe it's more accurate to say that this chapter gives a quick take on how homophobes view homosexuality. I don't mean to offend anyone, not even Canadians. Please do not flame me, or I will be forced to hit you with a fire extinguisher.

Disclaimer: I like slinkies.

* * *

"You are a masochist," declared Souichi.

"They're my parents," Morinaga answered.

"You don't need to see them if you don't want to," Kunihiro reminded him. His older brother's tone implored him to reconsider.

Morinaga was touched by their concern. Senpai, no matter how convoluted his feelings were for Morinaga, never wanted to see him hurt in any way. And Kunihiro's steadfastness meant a lot.

Morinaga had never felt more loved than he did right now. Since the accident, people had been generous with their support-Senpai, Kunihiro, Masaki, Hiroto, Kanako, his friends from work and school, and the hospital staff. It was precisely why he needed to do this.

He sighed. They had been trying to change his mind since last night. It was now the morning of his (their) parents' visit, and he still wanted to meet them. Neither Senpai nor Kunihiro understood why he wanted to meet his parents.

It wasn't that he didn't remember what they did-he remembered every painful detail. It was just that…just that…he had to explain it to Senpai and Kunihiro, or they would just override his wishes and bar his parents at the hospital gates.

"Listen, since this accident I-I had always been afraid that people would leave me behind," began Morinaga haltingly. "But you didn't. And they didn't. I feel…I know that I'm strong enough to take whatever they throw now. So please. Let me meet them. I want to do this."

Souichi and Kunihiro exchanged a long look. Finally, Kunihiro sighed.

"You're a masochist," Kunihiro muttered. Souichi nodded fervently. However, both seemed resigned to Morinaga's decision.

Morinaga smiled.

* * *

His first visitors for the day-after his morning physical therapy-were Tomoe and Kurokawa. Predictably, Souichi forgot all about Morinaga's parents as soon as he set eyes on his...erm…brother in law.

"I told you not to come," Souichi growled. And that wasn't a figure of speech. Souichi was really growling.

Like a dog that was apt to bite. Morinaga started to say something-but Tomoe beat him to it.

"Hello, Morinaga-kun, Nii-san. I told you we were worried," Tomoe answered. "Why haven't you told us?"

"Because I knew you'd come and bring that-thing with you!"

"He's not a thing! He's my husband!"

"He's your what?" Kunihiro repeated in astonishment.

"Hello," Kurokawa mumbled, totally cowed by Souichi.

"I'm really glad you came," Morinaga said quickly.

Kurokawa managed a smile, but the Tatsumi siblings were too busy with their argument.

"You're not allowed in here," Souichi told Kurokawa.

"Did he just say husband?" Kunihiro said, still sounding dazed.

"Senpai, I really don't mind-" Morinaga tried to intervene.

"Shut up!" Souichi snarled. "You-get out before I land you into a hospital room of your own!"

A new voice suddenly joined the others. "Wow, sure is lively in here. Mind if I cut in?"

Everyone stopped talking. The stork was in the doorway, smiling.

"Ah, Peter-san…" Morinaga said. His eyes said: _Rescue me!_

Peter was clearly trying not to laugh out loud. He'd heard the conversation from a couple of corridors away, and had already guessed most of what was happening, but this was something else.

"Well, I think that Morinaga-kun has an hour of speech therapy to complete," Peter said. "You seem to have just arrived here. I know I haven't seen you before. So why don't you use the time to get acquainted?"

"I already know too much of that person," Souichi said, pointing at Kurokawa.

"It'll be good exercise for Morinaga-kun, too. Ah, here-how about you introduce us, Morinaga-kun? You've never talked that long before. Go on," Peter prompted him when Morinaga looked hesitant.

"Ah, well-this is Kurokawa Tomoe and Kurokawa Mitsugi. They've just come from America. Kurokawa-san, Tomoe, this is Miura Peter. He's my speech therapist."

Peter nodded approvingly. "Very good, though you're still not pronouncing words properly. And you forgot to tell me about their…marriage?"

"That is-" Kurokawa began, uncertain how to proceed. Neither Tomoe nor Kurokawa knew this Miura Peter. Would he be tolerant of gays?

"I am not, to use the common term, a homophobe," Peter said, waving his hand. "Though I'm not gay. Go on, Morinaga-kun. Married?"

"Yes, last year, in California."

"Your senpai is turning an interesting color," observed Peter placidly. "Are you having an aneurysm? I can get a doctor."

Tomoe burst out laughing. Everyone else stared at Souichi, who was indeed turning purple.

"Hey, calm down," Kurokawa said.

"I'll calm down if you get out of here!"

"I want him here," objected Tomoe.

Peter hummed under his breath, doing an examination of Morinaga while chaos reigned in the form of Tomoe, Kurokawa and Souichi. "Are they always this noisy?"

"I've forgotten what it was like to have them all in a room together," admitted Morinaga.

"If they don't keep it down they'll get thrown out," Peter warned him.

"Oh, uhm, just give Senpai time to calm down…He'll accept it in the end."

"I didn't know that gays could get married," Kunihiro said.

"Not here," explained Peter. "In the U.S there's and increasing number of states who legalize gay marriage."

The Tatsumi siblings finally calmed down enough to watch Peter work. "How come you know a lot about it?" Tomoe asked Peter, ever straight to the point.

The stork shrugged. "I've studied college in Canada."

"You're a homo, too?" Souichi demanded.

"No," said Peter patiently. "Honestly-why do you have such weird conceptions about Canada?"

This time, even Kunihiro managed a chuckle.

* * *

Souichi could not stand to look at Morinaga anymore.

Morinaga had two visitors since Tomoe and Kurokawa-both his officemates. During both times, his kouhai had flinched at the sound of someone entering. His face held a half-hopeful, half-expectant look- the kind of face, Souichi speculated, an abused child would make. Hoping not to be hit, but at the same time, expecting to.

He'd taken the day off today. He kept telling himself it was to keep Kurokawa's filthy paws off Tomoe while they were visiting, but even he couldn't deny that he was…worried about Morinaga. After all, even the ice-cold Kunihiro was worried. That was something.

Under Kunihiro's advice, Tomoe and Kurokawa had left after lunch. Souichi had wanted Tomoe to stay in their apartment, and leave Kurokawa to "go die in a ditch alone" (Souichi's exact words), but Tomoe wouldn't hear of it.

They had wanted to stay. Morinaga himself explained the situation to them, and the couple insisted on lending their support. However, both the Morinaga brothers thought it best for them not to meet their parents.

"They might insult you," Kunihiro had explained. "We don't want that. And I'm sure you won't want to aggravate the situation any more than we're anticipating it to be, either."

Reluctantly, they left. Kunihiro had wanted Soiuchi to leave too, but he refused. He also warned Kunihiro not to repeat his request unless he wanted to get roundhouse-kicked in the face.

"You need to rest," Souichi was now saying. Morinaga was still awake, waiting for his parents' visit. It reminded Souichi of a screwed-up version of a kid waiting for Santa. So far, today was the longest that Morinaga had stayed conscious since the accident.

It was almost five o'clock. When would they arrive?

Would they even come? Perhaps this was nothing more than a ruse…

"I'm fine," mumbled Morinaga. He was doing his speech therapy exercises so he had something to occupy his mind with.

"You look tired," Kunihiro noted. "You can rest. We'll wake you when they've arrived."

"You will?"

"If you don't rest I'm going to knock you out," threatened Souichi.

"I really don't need another injury," Morinaga yawned, then winced as he overextended his sore jaw muscles. He closed his eyes. In a few minutes he was asleep.

* * *

Souichi watched his kouhai breathe for a few minutes. When he looked up, Kunihiro was staring out of the window again. Kunihiro also had his hands clenched around his phone.

"When will they come?" Souichi asked softly.

"They've just gotten off the train," whispered Kunihiro.

"Is that why you wanted him to sleep?"

"Partly-and I also wanted to stop them before…" Kunihiro trailed off.

Souichi frowned. "I'm actually a bit surprised that you don't want Morinaga to meet them."

Kunihiro gave him a level stare. "You don't know our parents. They're worse than I am-was. Has Tetsuhiro told you about them?"

Souichi shook his head. Well, that wasn't unusual; Morinaga practically never told him anything about himself.

"I don't blame him," Kunihiro remarked, dropping his gaze. "After the whole situation with Jun, they've changed. But before that, Tetsuhiro hid it well. We never had a clue that he was…like that. I admit I didn't make it any easier-for him or for our parents. They kicked him out shortly after high school. The fact that Jun hadn't woken up yet didn't help. The Masaki family blamed Tetsuhiro."

Souichi felt a twinge of pity. He'd wondered, a few times, why Morinaga was so surprised at Soujin's ready acceptance of Tomoe's marriage. He knew why Morinaga left Fukouka, but hadn't known about the reaction of Masaki's family.

How had Morinaga survived all this time? He had financed his own college tuition and his Master's program. He heard somewhere, vaguely, that Morinaga was on scholarship, but scholarships didn't provide Morinaga's food and shelter. That must be why Morinaga was so used to taking care of himself.

"It was a small town," added Kunihiro dully. "The kind where everyone knew each other."

"That's no reason to kick him out," snapped Souichi. "Why are they visiting now?"

"They've known about Tetsuhiro's accident for a while now," answered Kunihiro. "They told me to tell them when he woke up, but I…I didn't want them to meet. Until two days ago I let them believe that he's still unconscious. I didn't even contact them since I've arrived. I don't know how they know, but I suppose we should be thankful that they didn't find out sooner. It would've upset him."

Souichi wanted to ask him a few more questions, but his inquiries died in his throat. Dr. Uzuki was coming in, followed by two people who could only be Morinaga's parents.

* * *

Kunihiro clearly got his looks from their father, while Morinaga got his from their mother. There was no denying that Kunihiro and Morinaga were brothers, but Morinaga had the soft green eyes of their mother.

"Oh, Tetsuhiro," gasped the woman, quickly striding over the bed. She touched her son's face, being careful of the bandages. Their father followed, more sedately, his face like a storm cloud.

"What's being done for him?" he barked at Dr. Uzuki.

"Uhm-well," began the doctor.

"I told you not to come," Kunihiro said, obviously angry.

"He's our son," the elder Morinaga replied, equally annoyed. "We told you to tell us when he wakes up. If the Takagi family hadn't told us-"

"Oh, so that's why you came? You should've been here three weeks ago!"

"Shhh!" their mother rebuked. "He's sleeping!"

"Please," Dr. Uzuki cut in, "Let Morinaga-kun sleep. He's been waiting for you all day. If we can take this someplace more private?"

"I'm not leaving my son," the woman said firmly.

"You say that now," muttered Kunihiro.

Souichi stared at Kunihiro, fascinated. He never would've thought that Morinaga's mild-mannered older brother could act like this. Kunihiro was acting like…like Souichi. The sad thing was, he didn't know whether to laugh at that.

The elder Morinaga was staring at his younger son. Souichi couldn't describe the man's expression at the moment-like he was seeing his son for the first time in years, but hadn't quite expected the meeting. Then he turned to Dr. Uzuki. "Lead the way."

Dr. Uzuki nodded. Kunihiro and the elder Morinaga followed, but Souichi stayed behind with their mother.

"I'm sorry," the woman said apologetically. "My family's like that. Are you one of Tetsuhiro's friends?"

Souichi nodded. "His…senpai," he said carefully. If he said "room mate" the woman might make a connection he didn't want her to make.

She was holding on to Morinaga's hand-stroking it. The gesture was no doubt meant to be comforting, but all it did was irritate him. The woman had no right to act like a mother-not when she was a party to Morinaga's exile.

"I'm Isane," said the woman. "We just came in from Fukuoka."

"Tatsumi Souichi," he said shortly. Then, because he couldn't help himself, he added, "Why didn't you come sooner?"

Isane looked away. "We didn't know he was awake."

"That's not a reason, Isane-san," Souichi said, already beginning to see red. "You should've been here the moment Kunihiro arrived."

She turned back to him, half-guilty, half-defiant. "We knew Kunihiro would take care of him. We didn't want him to hate us."

"Hate you? Hate _you_?" repeated Souichi incredulously. "You kicked him out when he was in high school! Do you have any idea how hard it's been for him? He had to live entirely on his own since college. You never gave him any support, nor did you try to contact him. Who's the one who hates who?"

"That's exactly why he hates us!"

"I don't hate you," a quiet voice interjected. Both Isane and Souichi jumped and looked down.

"How long have you been awake?" said Souichi, stupefied. He never knew that Morinaga could look like this. His face and eyes were blank, devoid of emotion.

"Since Dad was in the room."

"How are you feeling, Tetsuhiro? Have they been treating you well?"

"I'm fine, Mom," responded Morinaga. "I've been in therapy."

Isane nodded. "Your Dad left with Kunihiro and Dr. Uzuki."

"I know."

Then an awkward silence descended. No one really knew what to say.

Isane rushed in to fill it. "I'm sorry we couldn't visit earlier. We didn't know you were awake."

Morinaga was still detached. "That's all right."

"So you would have visited only if he woke up?" spat Souichi acidly. "If he died, would you have bothered to attend the funeral?"

Isane gasped.

"Senpai!" Morinaga shouted, shocked. Souichi noted with satisfaction that at least now Morinaga had an expression on his face.

A second later she was sobbing into her hands. "We-We didn't want that!"

Morinaga, the moron, had put his arms around his mother. "I know. I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You aren't supposed to be the one apologizing," said Souichi through gritted teeth. But the other two weren't listening.

"We'll fix this, Tetsuhiro," Isane was saying, clutching her son like he was a lifeline. "We'll get you help."

"Help?" Morinaga and Souichi said together, confused.

* * *

Kunihiro was starting to pity Dr. Uzuki. Or starting to admire him. He didn't know which.

The smaller doctor had just finished explaining Tetsuhiro's injuries and the current steps they were taking to get him back on his feet. Kunihiro had heard it all before: all three weeks' worth of medical reports. He couldn't help thinking that his father should've heard it three weeks before.

Kunihiro had authorized most of the therapies that Dr. Uzuki had recommended. He and Junya spent hours with the doctor trying to chart out a best course for his little brother's recovery. They had made a lot of decisions without consulting Tetsuhiro himself-they only had his best interests at heart.

It was too arrogant of their parents to come and take control now.

Dr. Uzuki had patiently answered all of their father's snappish questions. The doctor spoke quietly, but authoritatively.

At the end of it all, their father had only one question: "What about his mental health?"

"Mental health? Morinaga-kun doesn't seem to need psychiatric help," replied Dr. Uzuki, obviously puzzled. "In fact, he has shown remarkable resilience."

"No, that's now what I meant," their father mumbled. "I mean…he is…our son is…a h-homosexual. Can't he go into counseling to cure that?"

Kunihiro and Dr. Uzuki stared at him. Their father took this as a sign to go on.

"I mean, we might as well. My wife and I talked it over and thought it would be for the best."

Kunihiro felt himself turning red with anger. "He's not sick. Not like that."

"Of course he is! That's why he-he l-likes men. Isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," said Kunihiro tersely. It was a good thing that Souichi was left behind. Kunihiro shuddered to think what he would do if he happened to overhear this conversation.

"Kunihiro, I don't think you understand. If he does this we can be a family again!"

"You-!"

Suddenly the door banged open. All three men turned, momentarily distracted, to see Souichi standing in the doorway. His foot was raised in the act of kicking the door, and Kunihiro could vaguely remember that he locked it himself only half an hour before.

Souichi's eyebrows were knitted together, every muscle tense. He looked livid.

And he looked very scary.

"What," rasped Souichi in a voice that seemed to come straight from the Arctic, "are you saying?"

* * *

A/N: Cliffie! Yay! hooray for cliffies! *curls up into a ball and starts rolling away *

This chapter has two extreme emotions, represented by two different couples- on one end, Tomoe and Kurokawa, on the other, the parents. I'm sure you know what i mean. I don't think Morinaga's parents are evil, they just don't understand.

I'm sorry if people expected those two families to meet-I thought it best to take it slow for now. I wanted to focus on Morinaga's family first. Oh, and I hope I didn't confuse my lovely readers too much. With his family, Morinaga is addressed as "Tetsuhiro". I might add that I don't know their parents' real names, I made it up. I've searched but I can't find their parents' names, if someone knows, leave a review?

Actually, leave a review even if you don't. XD

I'm surprised that so many of you (well, those who left reviews, anyways,so I have no clue if that's the majority) wanted to know about Hiroto and Peter! And also excited. I can't wait to explain it some more in later chapters. I've kinda left it hanging here.

My darling reviewers: I wish I could give you all your own Iron Man suit. Haha.

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: * nods * Yeah,I know all about the jerk named Internet! Still, we owe him a lot. Haha. The reveals have a purpose, I promise: I should be able to explain more in a few chapters (like less than 3.) And no, Peter is not cruel that way! I will explain about his relationship with Hiroto, but their timeline is supposed to be during high school. I don't know when Hiro was rejected by that other man,but that's not Peter. Thanks so much for that bit of medical info-I had something like that inserted into me, but I was too busy hating it to actually know what it's called. I am biased against needles. Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: Thanks for this info! As I've told Lady Tsuru, I'm planning to explain about Peter and Hiroto in later chapters. The timeline for their "romance",if you would call it that, was when they were in high school. And I'm laughing at the implication of in-laws! Like a marriage interview. Shh, don't tell Souichi! Thanks for your review!

_**Hermina05**_: I'm not sure about the accuracy-I got most of the stuff off the Internet. I didn't want anything too dramatic for Morinaga's injury, or some plot readers could see from ten chapters away. I'm really happy you told me it's realistic! And no need to worry about being silly or me replying to your reviews...I read somewhere that silly is our natural state of mind until we're forced to become serious. It's certainly true in my case. Thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: But Peter's too...too stork-y to be called a threat! I don't think you'd like the Morinaga parents in this chapter though...the way they behaved definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: I think you're going to want to kick their parents, too. Sorry but you'll have to get in line...Souichi is first. But on the positive side, Tomoe and Kurokawa provide a bit of comic relief...Hope this chapter met your expectations! Thanks for your review!

_**Miny**_: I think Troy will get demolished if Souichi and Kunihiro stay in the same room with Morinaga's parents for too long. Ah, well, they're in the hospital at least, so any casualties will be given immediate aid...Hmmm...that's an idea...wait for Hiroto and Peter in a later chapter! thanks for your review!

**Reviews help put more chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies. They also miraculously transform raisins into chocolate chips.** **Review! That button just wants to be clickyclicky!**


	11. Normal Norms

A/N: How much do I love my readers? Let me count the ways: I have written a chapter extra-early for my hundred reviews! YAAAYYYY! Come on and celebrate with me!

Disclaimer: I am doing a rain dance!

* * *

"You could've knocked," was the first thing that Kunihiro could think of saying. Irrelevant, it was true. But did the man really just kick down a door? Didn't that happen only in books and movies?

"Who're you?" their father asked.

Souichi ignored both of them. "She just told me that you were going to take that idiot to a shrink because he's gay," he continued in that same cold voice. "Is that true?"

Their father turned to look at Kunihiro. "Who is this lunatic?"

"You might not want to call him-"

Souichi strode into the room, jabbing a finger to their father's chest. "I've got a different opinion on who the lunatic is. It's not a fucking disease, you moron."

"That's a matter of opinion, young man. It's an abnormality of the mind."

"I never thought I'd live to say this, but your son is a lot more normal than you are."

Their father turned red. "If Tetsuhiro is friends with someone like you, it's no wonder he stays homosexual."

Souichi's face darkened, and Kunihiro had to dive in front of Souichi to stop him from knocking their father's teeth out.

"You…fucking...bastard-" Souichi spluttered, trying to push Kunihiro away. Dr. Uzuki was now helping Kunihiro wrestle Souichi away. Their father was backing off, something like real fear in his eyes. "You…brainless idiot…"

"Are you a homo, too?" their father hissed.

Kunihiro turned pale. He could almost _hear_ Souichi snap.

"Calm down, Sou-"

"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down!" Souichi yelled, flailing wildly. He accidentally kicked Kunihiro in the shin, but he couldn't care less at this point. "Let me at him! That caveman deserves a lesson! How dare you call me a fucking homo! You moron!"

"Tatsumi-san, if you don't calm down we'll call the guards to escort you out," panted Dr. Uzuki.

"You better get him locked up," their father said.

"Shut up, Dad!" shouted Kunihiro. Honestly!

Souichi kicked again, so hard that his shoe came flying off. His foot didn't reach their father, but the shoe did. It hit their father in the face.

"Dad!"

Their father clutched his face, looking more stunned than hurt. "What-you-"

Suddenly Tetsuhiro and their mother were there. Tetsuhiro was in a wheelchair, and he was deathly pale. He looked very distressed.

"Genichirou!" screeched their mother, abandoning her son and running to their father. "Are you all right?"

"What happened? What happened?" Tetsuhiro kept on saying. "Senpai? Nii-san?"

"Damn it, you deserve more than that," Souichi snarled.

"Tatsumi-san!" warned Dr. Uzuki.

Souichi glared at the small doctor for a moment, before deflating. "Fine. _Fine._ I'm going outside to…cool my head."

He walked closer to Genichirou, who flinched and shrank away. "I'm only getting my shoe!" Souichi said irritably.

He shoved his foot deep into the shoe, scowling. So much for keeping his temper in front of Morinaga's parents. But really, what was he supposed to do? That woman who called herself Morinaga's mother wanted her son to get fixed by a shrink.

Souichi stomped out. Nurses were already starting to crowd outside the room. Great, just what he needed-an audience. It would be all over the hospital tomorrow.

But he never thought that he could be so angry at someone. For someone. He knew he hated homosexuals, but his anger at Morinaga's parents surpassed his hate for Kurokawa or that professor who tried to molest him. Perhaps it was because he _just_ knew that Morinaga really would go to a shrink if his parents asked him to.

Morinaga should not be around people who continually hurt him. But damn it, that idiot was a masochist. Clearly, he needed someone like Souichi to shoo those kinds of people away, since Morinaga was too nice to do it himself.

And that comment about him being a homo-oh boy, that was over the top. He could've broken their father's face in half for that. Did they really think that he would…have this…whatever he had with Morinaga with someone else?

It was all Morinaga's fault of course. He wormed his way into his life until Souichi could not contemplate a life without him in it. Just when did he become so needy?

_Damn it._

* * *

The next morning, it was Tomoe and Kurokawa who accompanied him for his morning stroll across the grounds. Kunihiro had wanted to spend some time with their parents, while Souichi was at work. Frankly, Morinaga didn't think it would be a good idea to have his Senpai and his parents in the same room ever again.

After Souichi had left, Genichirou had spent some time trying to convince Morinaga to undergo treatment, despite Dr. Uzuki's statement that homosexuality was not a psychological disorder. Morinaga had been sick and tired and dizzy from everything that had happened, so he ended up saying that he would think about it. Genichirou had nodded, understanding, then left him with this parting line:

"_If you become normal, we can be a family again."_

Morinaga wanted that with all his heart. He wanted to be the son they wanted. But…that would mean leaving Senpai behind…Senpai, who had only recently admitted that he was important to him. Senpai, who stayed with him throughout his accident and recovery, as his parents had not done.

"You're awfully quiet today," Tomoe observed. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, really," Morinaga automatically answered.

Kurokawa and Tomoe exchanged a look. "You can tell us, you know," Kurokawa prodded gently. "Is it about S-Souichi? Or…your parents? Did they visit you?"

Morinaga was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, "My parents want me to go to a psychiatrist to treat homosexuality."

"What?!" Tomoe and Kurokawa exclaimed.

"You're kidding me," Kurokawa said, astonished.

"No, I'm not," Morinaga said, fighting down the urge to scream in frustration.

"But it's not a disorder," Tomoe protested.

"My parents seem to think so."

"Is that why Nii-san knocked your father out?" Tomoe wondered.

"I-What? No! Senpai didn't! Where did you hear that from?" Morinaga said, taken aback.

"I heard a couple of nurses talking about it."

"You did? But that's not true! "

"Then what happened?"

"Nii-san told me...Senpai kicked his shoe into Dad's face."

Tomoe and Kurokawa were silent for a moment. Then they both burst out laughing.

"So he didn't get knocked out? He got shoe-d," gasped Tomoe, still giggling.

"It's not very funny," frowned Morinaga. "It was a good thing that Nii-san and Dr. Uzuki were holding him back, or Senpai might've…"

"That's not it at all," Kurokawa said, wiping tears from his eyes. "It just sounded exactly like something he would do."

Tomoe nodded. "Yeah."

Now that Morinaga thought about it, it really was. And it comforted Morinaga that someone was at least willing to stand up for him. Senpai, Kunihiro…even Tomoe and Kurokawa.

"Don't worry, Morinaga-kun," whispered Tomoe. "Nii-san would _never_ abandon you."

"We won't, either," Kurokawa declared.

Morinaga smiled, and then nodded slowly. Maybe, after last night, he could start believing that.

* * *

After Morinaga finished his speech therapy, he got a shock: his parents had returned to visit.

Morinaga looked desperately at Tomoe and Kurokawa, then at his parents. What would he do if his parents found out about Tomoe and Kurokawa's relationship?

He didn't even have anyone acting as mediator…Dr. Uzuki, Saitou and Peter had all left. Kunihiro must have gone out too.

Isane brightened up when she entered the room. "Oh, Tetsuhiro, I didn't know you had visitors." Her eyes were still red, but she was trying.

"Ah…yes. Mom, Dad, these are Tatsumi Tomoe and Kurokawa Mitsugi. Tomoe, Kurokawa-san, these are our parents."

"I'm Isane." Said their mother with a smile. "My husband is Genichirou."

"Tatsumi, eh?" snorted their father. "You're related to that person last night?"

"Uhm, yes, he's my older brother."

"Is he coming?"

"I'm not sure. But he comes here every day, so…I suppose he will."

Isane, meanwhile, was busying herself making a milkshake for Morinaga. "Which fruit would you like? There's strawberries and melon."

"Strawberries, please."

"Have you thought about last night?" Genichirou inquired.

"Ah…yes, a little."

"And?"

Morinaga looked so pained that Kurokawa felt the need to butt in. "Genichirou-san, I don't think that's necessary."

Both Genichirou and Isane stared at him. "But isn't it abnormal?" Isane remarked. "Loving a man, it's not supposed to be, is it? Tetsuhiro should meet a nice girl and get married! Of course, Kunihiro got divorced, but that doesn't mean there's no chance for Tetsuhiro. He's smart and a very nice boy. As long as he keeps it a secret that he used to be gay, I don't see how he can't get a wife."

Tomoe's mouth was hanging open. Kurokawa, for his part, was certain that if he was a little less control of his temper, he would've kicked a shoe at her too.

"M-Mom…" stuttered Morinaga.

"Don't worry about anything, son. If you decide to go into counseling we'll support you all the way. Don't worry about the Masaki family." Genichirou said.

How could one face contain so much _hurt?_ Kurokawa's chest felt tight with sympathy and pity. The strawberry milkshake in Morinaga's hand was wobbling.

Tomoe abruptly stood up. Kurokawa looked at his husband, and was not surprised to see Tomoe's rare disapproving expression.

He did, after all, carry Tatsumi blood in him. Kurokawa sometimes forgot, but his Tomoe also had a rebellious streak.

"Genichirou-san, Isane-san, I don't think I've introduced myself properly. I'm Kurokawa Tomoe, and this is my husband, Murokawa Mitsugi. We've been married for almost two years now and we're very happy."

Isane looked bewildered. "But, Tomoe-san, aren't you a boy?"

"Yes."

Genichirou turned red. "And you knew?" he asked his son.

"Yes," Morinaga answered simply. "They're my friends."

Genichirou reacted before any of them could: his heavy hand shot out and smacked Morinaga in the face.

* * *

"Morinaga-kun!" Tomoe screamed, running over to the bed.

Morinaga collapsed on the bed, writing in agony. His father had hit him on his uninjured side-luckily or unluckily-and he'd landed on his bandaged side.

Kurokawa moved to stand near Genichirou, on the lookout for any more hits. Now wonder Souichi was so angry last night. For the first time, Kurokawa found himself wanting to give in to Souichi's violent tendencies.

Who the hell hits an injured person?!

More to the point, who the hell hits their son for being gay?

"Should I call a nurse?" Tomoe asked no one in particular, clearly panicky. Morinaga was still curled up on the bed.

Isane was by her son's side, smoothing through his hair. She was murmuring something to Morinaga. Every once in a while she looked up to stare at her husband, looking angry.

But Genichirou himself seemed sorry for what he did. He was pale, and he was staring at his hand like it was a separate part of him.

"I…I'm sorry. Oh, Tetsuhiro, I'm so sorry." He sat down hard on a chair, his face in his hands. "We're trying, son, but we don't know what to do anymore."

"You could try accepting him, " said a cold voice at the door. With a foreboding thrill of horror, they all turned to see Souichi, with Kunihiro and a nurse.

Kami. How long had they been standing there?

The nurse went straight to Morinaga and began to try and coax him. Morinaga slowly relaxed, and the nurse injected medicine into his IV.

Kurokawa looked at Genichirou to see what his reaction was, but he seemed too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice Souichi much. "We just wanted him to be normal," the older man said wearily. "Have a normal life."

"Morinaga's a hundred times better than some people I know," Souichi said evenly. "Definitely he's more of a man than you are."

"I...I can't..." Genichirou seemed to struggle for words. "I can't accept that choice he made, in his life. Can he ever be happy without a normal family?"

"I don't understand you," Souichi said. "Family doesn't come with conditions. They just _are._ You love them because they're family. You don't put conditional statements for love. That's not how love works."

Souichi glanced at Kurokawa, before continuing, "My brother is gay. He's married and they're happy. I hate the situation, and I fucking hate the husband, but I wouldn't stop loving my brother because of that."

"Nii-san," Tomoe said, touched.

Kurokawa bit back a smile. Was there a compliment hidden somewhere underneath all that?

"Then you're abnormal, too," Genichirou said flatly. He stood up, and then left. Isane hesitated, her gaze darting from Kurokawa, Tomoe, Souichi and Morinaga, before finally resting on her younger son. Finally, she bowed,and followed her husband.

Kurokawa looked down at Morinaga. He was unconscious.

"Too bad you missed all that, Morinaga-kun," he whispered.

* * *

Kunihiro was staring at Souichi. "Thank you," Kunihiro murmured. "I need to go after my parents."

Souichi nodded. Kunihiro turned and departed quickly.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san," Tomoe mumbled. "I think it was all my fault."

Souichi snorted. "Don't apologize, it would've come out sooner or later anyway. Dr. Uzuki had told me that they'll ban me from the hospital if I so much at yelled at those worthless pieces of shit that Morinaga calls his parents, so I'll have to settle for this."

"I think Morinaga-kun would appreciate what you did," Kurokawa offered.

Souichi scowled. "If you tell him what I told them, I'll make sure you're sent back to California as packaged ground meat."

Kurokawa turned white. He had absolutely no doubt that Souichi could carry out that threat.

"Nii-san!" Tomoe protested.

* * *

When Morinaga woke up, hours later, it was late afternoon. His parents were there, along with Kunihiro, Souichi, Tomoe and Kurokawa. The tension in the room was so thick that it was stifling, and Morinaga had the vague sense that they hadn't been speaking at all.

Two families. His past one...

And maybe, another that he could be part of.

"How are you feeling?" his mother whispered, caressing his hair.

How _did_ he feel? Heavy. Sad.

Lonely.

Because he knew now, what he wanted.

He wasn't really surprised that his father hit him. When Genichirou first found out about his homosexuality, he had hit him too. He was just embarrassed that Tomoe and Kurokawa had to see.

And he was ashamed that Genichirou thought his friendship with Tomoe and Kurokawa was so wrong.

Genichirou was looking at him. Waiting.

He did not like to meet his father's eyes. Instead he looked for support: in Kunihiro,in Tomoe, in Kurokawa.

In saved his Senpai for last, needing to draw on Souichi's just that. He wasn't even asking for love.

But when Morinaga and Souichi's eyes met, he saw in there something that made his heart soar: not love, exactly, but a fierce protectiveness that was Souichi's own brand of showing affection. This was the Senpai that he knew best: the one that stood up for him, the one that had stayed by his side always, just as Morinaga had stayed for him.

His look said:

**_I don't care if your parents are idiots. _**

**_I don't care if they think you're touched in the head, or abnormal, or unable to be happy. _**

**_You just stay here with me, or I'll rip your fucking head off. _**

**_Stay, you moron. I want you so stay right here. With me. _ **

**_You're fine just the way you are._**

Tears began to gather in Morinaga's eyes.

"Tetsuhiro?!" several voices said in alarm.

"I-" for a second he was too choked with emotion to speak. He tried again. "I'm sorry, Dad, Mom. I don't want to go to therapy. I won't. I'm...not abnormal," he gasped,almost forcing the words out. "I'm just different. Different. I love you, so much, I love you, but I won't. I...I'm happy now. Really, I'm happy."

And here was the final distinction between the people who loved him and the people who didn't: Kunihiro, Kurokawa and Tomoe all smiled, while Genichirou and Isane looked disappointed.

And Senpai...he looked...almost happy.

"You won't see a psychiatrist?" Isane said.

"No," Morinaga said resolutely.

His parents waited for a while longer, as if hoping he would change his mind. Then Genichirou shook his head.

"You were always stubborn," he said.

"I got it from you," Morinaga said, attempting to make a joke out of it.

"The you know that we can't accept your decision."

Morinaga was ready for that. "Yes."

Genichirou nodded slowly. "Yes," he agreed. "If there's nothing we can do, there's no point in us staying."

"Dad!" Kunihiro exclaimed, shocked.

But Morinaga was calm. "Yes."

Genichirou stood. "This is good bye, then."

"Good bye," Morinaga echoed. "I love you, Dad. Mom."

Genichirou inclined his head. "You take care of yourself."

"I will."

Isane was looked pale and sad. She bent her head towards Kunihiro, and gave him a kiss on his forehead. For Tetsuhiro, a kiss on each side of the cheek.

They left together, Morinaga's parents, for this last goodbye. And it was the last goodbye. Before, they had parted under harsh circumstances. Morinaga was thrown out of the family.

But now, it was Morinaga himself who chose to walk out that door. It was he, himself, who chose to walk this path, whatever it might bring him.

"Goodbye," repeated Morinaga. He was struggling not to cry. The room still had other people, but Morinaga felt alone.

Then a weight rested on the bed. Morinaga looked up, startled, before he was shoved forcefully into someone's chest.

Okay, that kinda hurt. "S-Senpai?"

Morinaga was surprised to notice that Souichi was trembling with some strong emotion. "Senpai?"

"You idiot," Souichi's voice was suspiciously husky. "Just th-this once, I'm allowing you to cry on my shoulder, so...cry. Just let it out. Don't hold anything back, it's unhealthy, moron. And it's over."

It's over.

Well, in more than one sense, it was.

Then it hit him, really hit him, what it meant to have his parents walk away from him. Morinaga's shoulders shook, and he began to sob into Souichi's shoulder.

It was his choice, his choice! But it still hurt! It hurt so much. So much. He was so sorry that he couldn't be the son they wanted. Souichi held him tighter,against the flood of emotions that was plaguing Morinaga.

Souichi was crying, too...

He cried some more, and somewhere in the wailing misery of his heart, he was comforted.

Because Souichi was here, his Souichi-_his Senpai-_ and he, Morinaga, was right in the arms of the person he wanted.

And this was the place where he truly belonged.

* * *

A/N: Okay, that was aeon's attempt at hurt/comfort/romance/family/ drama. Somehow it ended up hurting a lot! Though of course it had its fluffy moments...(which I still think isn't my forte.)

I hope that my readers are all very happy with this chapter! I think it's got some scenes which you all like. Speaking of which, I never really realized how v-v-violent you lot are. I've got reviewers asking me to punch Morinaga's parents!

Reviewers: Thank yo so much! Triple digits for a review is a first for me. Really.

_**GothicNinjaKitty**_: He only got shoed. Sorry! But I seriously think that Souichi would be banned from the hospital if he punched Genichirou, not to mention antagonize him completely. But that's not to say the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Haha. The cliffhanger was short, wasn't it? I hope I get another review from you! Thanks for your review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: I live to torture my readers. I think Souichi really gave them some food for the thought, but they've kept it up for more than five years and won't be willing to admit that. I think it's good that Morinaga rejected them, found the courage to, anyway. And, I'm thinking that I will give something on Peter/Hiroto next chapter. Wait for it! Haha, I know you always do. thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: I didn't think to include Kunihiro, it might send Genichirou straight to a heart attack-it was enough that he found out about a married gay couple! They don't really think of it as a disease,more of like a "problem" that can be solved by counseling. They just want him to be normal, by their definition, which is narrow-minded. Thanks for your review!

**_Bunny-chan2202_**: This chapter hurt me! That thing with his parents, oohh! I was feeling so sorry for Morinaga, I **had **to let Souichi come to the rescue. Hope you liked that scene! Thank you for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: There's a bit of Peter and Hiroto in the next chapter, I think. Ah, but although I'm mostly a pacifist, I really wanted to laugh when Genichirou called Souichi a homo. I swear I could hear Souichi's sanity snap from the document. Haha. Their father is lucky he only got shoed. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: Surprised? You didn't have to wait a week! Thanks for your review!

_**Maria Krause**_: Of course I could never fling a fire extinguisher at you, dear, I love you too much! even after that heart attack you nearly gave me. But maybe I'll fling tiny marshmallows into your hair to annoy you. And...Well, you were right, I got 100! Yay! I'm super happy right now! I'm doing a happy wiggle dance. Thanks for your review! (P.S. Say hi to johnny for me! the bear...)

_**Miny**_: this chapter is very tender too, especially towards the end! Morinaga finally stands up for himself. Yay for Morinaga! Thanks for your review!

_**fullmoon**_: my hundreth! aquí es su próximo capítulo! Espero que les encanta leer tanto como me encantó hacerlo. gracias! (i hope I got that right...)

To all my readers: I really love it when you leave reviews that tell me a line you liked the most. it makes me want to come up with more of it. Thanks you to all those who had followed and favorited this story, and this author.

**The chocolate chips are transforming! Leave a review for them to complete the transition from cookies to ice cream.**


	12. Reveal and Reflect

A/N: Holy cookie! I think the last chapter was the most reviewed one. I was very surprised, since the last part (the last scene) was written in a hurry. I barely edited it. I'm really squirmy jelly that you guys liked it!

Disclaimer: I tried transforming chocolate chip cookies into ice cream, until my mother turned off the stove and asked me what I was burning.

* * *

Predictably, Morinaga's body gave out the very next day. The combination of stress and physical exertion was too much for someone recovering from a coma.

His therapies were cancelled. He was hooked up to an IV again. Morinaga was barely aware of it, however, as he passed three days in a haze. He kept Kanako's healing charm pouch in his hand, and when he was conscious, it gave him hope.

He vaguely sensed time passing. Sometimes he recognized faces: Souichi, Kunihiro, Dr. Uzuki. Once or twice he thought he saw Tomoe and Kurokawa. Were they still here?

He spent a lot of time asleep, but he didn't always like his dreams. His parents visited him the worst ones, telling him he was a disappointment. Telling him to go to counseling. Begging him to make them a family again.

But there was nothing he could do. He'd chosen. He was sorry, but he already made the decision which family he should stay with.

Sometimes he dreamed of the accident-he'd dreamed of it several times before, but not quite this bad. All those screams, glass shattering…

The dream he liked best, the one that gave him most comfort, was the dream where he would be enveloped in warm strong arms. In that dream he was happy, because he knew that although that person would probably never say that they loved him, they would never leave him alone.

And that was what mattered most.

* * *

Souichi was pacing again. Kunihiro's head hurt just looking at him, and he could swear that Souichi's shoes were wearing a tread on the floor.

"His fever hasn't gone down in three days," Souichi said.

"I know."

"This is their entire fault," Souichi retorted, still pacing. Kunihiro assumed that Souichi was referring to their parents. "Why did they have to come?"

By now Kunihiro was refusing to look at him. "I think they were worried," he replied.

Souichi started pacing faster. "They were only worried about themselves, damn it. They were never...Aurgh! And this moron still lets them affect him!"

"It's not his fault he's sick." Kunihiro said.

"Oh yes it is!" Souichi said, flaring up. "He should have just told them to go away!"

"Don't you think he already did?"

"AAAAAUUUGGGH!" Souichi screamed. "This was not supposed to happen! I thought when he woke up from the coma everything would be fine! Why is he sick?"

Kunihiro sighed. He'd been having the same conversation (with a few variations) with Souichi for the past three days. He was starting to wonder if he should just take a record of his responses.

Or maybe he could take Souichi to Peter's mother to have him committed to an asylum.

Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as Souichi made it sound. Tetsuhiro was indeed sick with fever, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. The medicines he was taking were effective, and he spent most of his time asleep.

Dr. Uzuki had given them a sound lecture about how weak Tetsuhiro currently was. "He may sound and act like he's fine, but he's still susceptible to infection. Please realize that his body is working overtime to repair his injuries from the accident and doesn't need to be stressed or worked up."

"You make it sound like we wanted him to be sick," Souichi had snapped.

"Of course not," Dr. Uzuki had said. "I'm giving you a reminder to try not to expose him to these kinds of situations."

He gave Souichi a pointed look, making Souichi remember just exactly what he did to Morinaga's parents. Of course it would affect him.

But in the end they could do nothing but let Tetsuhiro ride out the fever. Dr. Uzuki had assured them that his brother's life was not in any danger, he was only tired.

"I'm going out for another coffee," Souichi said now.

"You do that," Kunihiro agreed.

Souichi left the room, leaving Kunihiro to stare after him. He wondered if the blond man realized that he hadn't shaved in three days.

He smiled at his sleeping brother. "You know, sometimes even I think that he actually cares about you."

* * *

Souichi was definitely irritated with the world. Isogai had just come from a business trip and had dragged Kurokawa and Tomoe away to drink and catch up. He couldn't even threaten Kurokawa because he was giving Souichi that knowing smirk-the one that told him that he would make the video* public if Souichi dared to interfere.

Tomorrow, Masaki and Kanako would come again. He'd need the patience of a Tibetan monk on Valium to deal with them.

Coffee. Yes. That was always a solution. The vending machine coffee in this hospital actually tasted like coffee-unlike the liquefied cardboard other vending machines dispensed. He pressed the buttons and was prepared to drink it in Morinaga's room when he heard his kouhai's name being spoken.

"…few days. Morinaga-kun has been missing you."

Souichi glanced at the vending machine. Through the reflection, he saw two familiar figures behind him-Miura Peter and that bartender friend of Morinaga's…Hiroto, wasn't it?

Souichi sat down nearby, making sure that he was out of sight. Unfortunately this meant that he couldn't see Peter or Hiroto as well, but he was too curious. The way Peter spoke to Hiroto indicated that they knew each other.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Peter prodded.

"Of course not," Hiroto said quickly. Too quickly.

Peter sighed. "Yama, I do work here. You can't run away forever, you know."

"I said I'm not avoiding you."

"Oh? And is that why you haven't been visiting Morinaga-kun?"

"I've been busy. Damn it, Peter, stop interrogating me."

There was a long pause. "Sorry," Hiroto said.

Peter didn't seem to mind. "Don't worry about it. I've been trying to provoke you on purpose. I'm just surprised you're here. What happened to Osaka?"

"I left."

"…Because?"

"Of work."

"But you're a bartender."

"How did you know that?"

"Morinaga-kun told me."

Hiroto sighed in exasperation. "And what else did he tell you?"

"Oh, you know, this and that. Nothing really big."

"Peter. Just tell me what he told you."

Souichi heard Peter chuckle. "Yama, you never cared about how other people see you. That has changed, right?"

Who was Yama? Was that Hiroto's last name?

"I don't think that's anything out of the ordinary. People grow up."

"Of course, except that it's me we're talking about here. What made you decide that you couldn't trust me anymore? When we met that day in Morinaga-kun's room, you ran away."

"I-I do trust you."

"Then tell me. Fuck, Yama, what happened to you?"

Souichi was slightly surprised. He didn't think that Peter ever swore. He didn't know why, but the smiling Peter who they saw as a physical therapist was quite different from the one interrogating Hiroto now.

"I fell in love with a straight man again." The words were carefully neutral of any intonation. "In Osaka, where I used to work as a salary man. A co-worker. He told me it was disgusting, then fled to Tokyo. I never saw him after that."

Souichi was quite startled. Hiroto-he what? And then what? He loved a guy? But the guy rejected him…then said it was disgusting…

Well, he couldn't blame the guy for running away, really. But it disturbed Souichi how much it sounded like Morinaga's beginnings with him.

"How long?" It was Peter's voice which pulled Souichi back to the present.

"Eh?"

"How long have you liked him?" Peter repeated.

"…two years."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Five years ago."

Another long pause. Then Peter said, "I see. And you went here?"

"My aunt owns the bar."

"Of course. And this is my father's hometown, we moved here last year."

"I know. I heard it from another old classmate. I just didn't think that you'd be _here._"

"It's like a coincidence, isn't it?"

"You were always a pragmatist. You never believe in coincidences."

"Well, as you said, people grow up. But I would think that you've stopped falling for straight men after your experience with me."

"I guess I haven't learned how to."

"Yama-you're only hurting yourself!" Peter's voice showed concern and exasperation. "Can't you find someone who's capable of loving you back, at least?

Hiroto, for his part, was getting angry. "You don't understand. Do you think I could've stopped? Are you really a machine? I can't control who I like. Or do you-"

"Don't." Peter's voice was ice. "Don't say that. It wasn't my fault that we didn't work out, _Hiroto._ Remember that."

Souichi heard the sound of rapid footsteps. When he dared to look back to where they were, only Hiroto was there.

* * *

Hiroto was seriously contemplating drowning himself in his coffee cup. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't this.

Peter was the same as ever, or maybe a few inches taller. He spoke the same, and was still concerned about him, although it had been ten years since they last spoke to each other.

And even for a man of almost thirty, Peter was still attractive.

_Damn it_. Peter was right. He should stop falling for straight men.

He stood up. Now that Peter was gone, he might as well visit Angel-kun. He'd been instantly worried when Peter told him that his parents had visited and that he was currently sick.

He was just turning around a corner when he bumped into Tatsumi Souichi-literally. Cold coffee splashed onto Hiroto's hand and he immediately backtracked.

"Sorry," he said.

"I…ah, that's fine," stammered Souichi, not looking at him in the eye.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

Hiroto narrowed his eyes. Clearly, it wasn't nothing. He looked down at his hand again, which was wet with coffee.

Cold coffee.

From the vending machine in the…

"You heard," Hiroto said softly. He looked calm, but he was panicking inside-not for himself, but for Peter. Knowing Souichi, the blond man would spread word that Peter was once Hiroto's love interest.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Souichi shot back.

"Don't lie to me, I know you did. Listen, do me a favor and don't tell anyone what you heard, not even Angel-kun. He already knows too much."

"He knows?!"

"He was there when we met." Hiroto paused, still uncertain, but all he saw in Souichi's eyes was a burning curiosity. "I can probably tell you a bit about it. Somewhere more private."

Besides, maybe if Souichi's curiosity was satisfied, he would leave Peter alone. If Peter was the one Souichi cornered…Peter would see no reason not to tell him the truth.

Souichi appeared to think it over. Hiroto realized that he didn't even know what Souichi heard.

Then Souichi nodded, abruptly. "Fine."

* * *

"So what's the deal with you and the stork?" Souichi asked.

They were in the hospital's parking lot, smoking cigarettes. Souichi hadn't even known that Hiroto smoked.

"How much did you hear?" Hiroto answered.

"…starting from when he was telling you that you needed to visit more."

_Everything, then, _thought Hiroto, his stomach sinking. This was going to be a lot more complicated than he'd anticipated.

"He was my friend in high school. We've known each other since middle school-but we only got closer in high school." Hiroto paused, his eyes distant. "He used to be pretty short in middle school. Then in high school, he shot up like a beanstalk. He was quiet. You know those stories how foreigners are always so loud? Peter wasn't ever like that.

"He moved into Osaka when we were in middle school. He told me he lived in Canada before. At first people made fun of him because he talked funny-you know how it is."

"Why?"

"I told you. When he first came, he was this weak little foreigner with red hair, speaking with an accent. And we knew that he was the only son of two hospital doctors. That made kids want to stay away."

"Then?"

"Well," Hiroto said, "We grew up, Peter more than the others. Suddenly he was popular. He had a group of friends, me included. Then I began to like him. I confessed to him in high school, but he turned me down."

"Why?"

"Because he was straight." Hiroto's smile was bittersweet. "He told me that he only liked me as a friend. He went back to Canada for college. We haven't seen each other in ten years."

Souichi sensed, even then, that there was more to it, but didn't pry. The memory obviously hurt Hiroto enough. "And…the man from Osaka?"

This time Hiroto laughed. It was a strange laugh, one that reminded him suddenly of Morinaga's stoic, blank face.

"He had red hair, too."

* * *

When Souichi and Hiroto returned to Morinaga's room, Dr. Uzuki was already waiting. He was talking to Kunihiro, who looked very anxious.

"Ah, Tatsumi-san," Dr. Uzuki greeted him. "And Yamaguchi-san, too. You're just in time."

"For what?"

"We were discussing Morinaga-kun's living arrangements after he gets released from the hospital," Dr. Uzuki explained.

"Isn't that a bit too early? He's still sick."

"Not at all," Dr. Uzuki said. "Kaida-san and Peter have told me what Morinaga-kun would need in the future. Now, I understand that Morinaga-kun lives with you?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"About…two years?"

"I see. Will you still live with him after this?"

"I-what?" Souichi was stumped. Of course he would-did the stupid rabbit doctor think that he shoed Genichirou for fun?! "Why're you asking?"

"Because living with Morinaga-kun will be different from now on. You'll probably need to change apartments to the first floor. Stairs might be difficult for him. And you'll need to install handrails-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Souichi interrupted. "Why does he need all this? He has therapy!"

"Therapy can only go so far, Tatsumi-san. And he does need to live with the results of his injuries…one of which would probably mean that he could not walk without aid."

"He'll…not walk again?" It was impossible.

"Oh, he will, but he might need a cane or a wheelchair. His mind is intact, and he still has his left ear, so he can still hold a job and function normally. He will have to continue therapy, because his sense of balance is, at best, compromised. That means his house would have to be equipped to ensure his safety. Now, Morinaga-san is willing to let Morinaga-kun live with him, but-"

Souichi again cut in. "What does that mean?!"

"I'll take him back with me," Kunihiro said helpfully.

"NO!" shouted Souichi. "I won't allow it!" He stood up, glaring at Kunihiro. Damn it, were all of the Morinagas annoying?! _He _would be the one staying with Morinaga!

"I don't live with my parents," Kunihiro informed him. "And I can find an apartment suitable for us."

"No!"

Dr. Uzuki blinked up at him. "But, Tatsumi-san, finding an apartment like that might be costly. As I understand it, you are still studying for your doctorate. How will you be able to sustain both your lifestyles? At the very least, Morinaga-san has a stable job."

Souichi suddenly thought of Yanagi-san's offer to let him teach. Maybe it was really all for the better. "I'll find a way."

Whatever it takes, Morinaga was staying with him.

* * *

* video: for those who read the manga, this is the video where Isogai blackmailed Souichi into singing the Doraemon theme song. The circumstances surrounding it are quite funny, so read it. If you don't know the Doraemon thheme song, look it up.

A/N: Aaaaand it's a start of a new struggle. For those who predicted this kind of scene, congratulations!

I'm going to start connecting all the parts together. I know I've let little snippets of info hang here and there-like Yanagi-sensei's offer to let Souichi teach-but these are all connected to the main story. Here's a hint: Peter and Hiroto would have closure.I'm planning to make it end as conclusively as the issue with Morinaga's parents. Their love is goint to turn out to be quite different than Souichi and Morinaga's, that I can promise you.

You know, I was quite surprised that none of the reviews I've received expressed a wish that Morinaga's parents would just accept him. Although I'd admit it's not going to me my scene (parents and Morinaga sobbing into each others' arms an living happily ever after), I think it means that we're all on the same wavelength when it comes to his parents.

Please note that I don't know much about Hiroto. I'm thanking those who told me about his story.

I think we've got around half a dozen chapters left to go.

Again, I thank you for so many of you reviewing the last chapter!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: I really need to know how you manage to read my story three minutes after I post it. You have impeccable timing. Haha! That was also my favorite chapter so far. I'm glad you think that I did good, because I rushed the last part a bit, and Souichi is so hard to make a romantic scnee out of. I swear he's the only character I write of that would use the f-word when showing they care. I mean who the hell tells someone that they better stay with them or they'll rip their heads off? He's worse than the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland. Thanks for your review!

_**GothicNinjaKitty**_: ...I really am too nice, aren't I? I should've thought of that. Haha. I know the last chapter was bittersweet, but at least there's closure on the issue-now, Morinaga is the one choosing to leave his family. I always reply to reviews, and I'm planning to take this story all the way to the end! Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: I don't know if "help" is the right word-no doctor would ever allow Souichi to rehabilitate anyone, as his methods are quite...erm, Spartan. The very thought makes me shiver. But yes, he will be involved in another way. Thanks for your review!

_**DororoXPenana**_: You know, it was difficult to write that part. There's a lot of characters in Tyrant that need to be highlighted more, and it's all too possible that Takanaga-sensei would have a completely different opinion. But oh well. His parents just thought that something was wrong with Morinaga-like a machine-so they wanted to fix it. Hm, they went about it the wrong way. Thanks for your review!

_**kayitt**_: Don't let souichi hear you call him cute or he'll shoe you too. * laughs * oh, but I know what you mean! he'll deny it later, but he was so cute then! i suppose he has his moments. Thanks for your review!

_**souichitatsumi**_: Your review was ice-cream for my heart! It made me really happy. I'm truly not that good at expressing my emotions in person-but i think that writing is my outlet. I just picture the scenes in my mind as I write. Some of the characters, like Souichi, and Morinaga, are difficult- because Morinaga's so nice, when I want to simply punch people, while Souichi is difficult because he's loud and prejudiced but a softie at heart. I hope I'll continue to meet your expectations! Thanks for your review!

P.S. I haven't thought of that for Isane, but my subconscious might've...strangely appropriate...thanks for pointing it out!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: No problem! I'm glad you liked the last chapter enough to review. Thanks!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: I'm happy it makes you happy! Maybe I should've let Souichi go a little? But I assure you that Genichirou would've lost a few teeth in that case. Souichi isn't the most romantic, is he? If a guy draes to tell me something like that, I won't know if I'm flattered or scared. Ripping heads is a rather dangerous past time. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: Souichi will deny that he was ever nice to Morinaga. He has his moments but that doesn't mean he'd own up to it-such a tsundere, isn't he? Thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: Even if I was the one writing that scene, I thought of Armageddon and the end of the world "Mayday! Mayday!" when Souichi heard that comment. Oh boy. But I really think that fighting is banned in hospitals-and i don't want Morinaga and Souichi to fight over Genichirou, which is what I think would happen if Souichi did land a stronger hit on Genichirou. So not worth it. Thanks for your review!

_**Morwen**_: I know a few LGBT's, and though it doesn't make a slightest difference to me, i do know that it affects their daily lives. if there are any LGBT's reading this, they're welcome to give me a few pointers on how to portray them more correctly. but yes, sometimes it's like this, i think. thanks for your review!

_**Hermina05:**_ A bit late, sorry. I was editing some things. Souichi could be quite sweet, but not that often! I guess he wouldn't be called tyrant if he were. Oh well! at least there's hope for him yet. thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: Thanks you! I hope you can review again!

_**Miny**_: I know, it's difficult for them, too. But I think that they should still try, at least. Kunihiro did it. Ah, look, i'm confessing that i'm not really in charge of what's happening...i just think of what's most likely to happen! Thanks for your review!

A bit of a confession, my lovely readers. A new co-worker (male) just confessed to being gay. He came out to me and my other co-worker (we're both girls.) At first he didn't want to tell _me, _ because I suppose I give quite a conservative, prim-girl aura at work. I told him it was okay, but I could hardly tell him that i was actually writing yaoi too. I was laughing inside. looks can be deceiving, my lovelies.

**The cookies have transformed to ice cream! But they have a burnt flavor now. Please review! They are waiting to be saved!**


	13. Music Medicine

A/N: Soon, my lovelies. Soon.

Disclaimer: I'm still waiting for white chocolate M&M's.

* * *

Fortunately, Morinaga was better by the weekend. Dr. Uzuki finally allowed Saitou and Peter to continue with Morinaga's therapies on Monday, with one difference: Souichi and Kunihiro would both be receiving careful instruction on how to accommodate Morinaga' condition.

Peter had joked that he would need the patience of a saint to actually teach Souichi anything. Souichi was Not Amused, especially when Kanako, who was visiting at that time, laughed and told Peter that he really would.

Morinaga was set to be released in a week-incidentally, the same week that Kunihiro would return to his work.

Kunihiro conferred with Dr. Uzuki more often since that announcement. Souichi suspected that he was trying to get the doctor to allow Morinaga to live with Kunihiro.

* * *

Sunday was a good day for Morinaga. Peter finally allowed the jaw brace to be removed. Morinaga was also progressing to soft diet. Hospital food was bland, but Peter insisted that he try to finish it all.

His stitches were taken out, as well. A nurse taught Souichi and Kunihiro how to clean and re-bandage Morinaga's wound. She also directed them to the drugstores that sell the things that they would need.

Dr. Miura, Peter's father, dropped in too. He repeated the same things that Dr. Uzuki said about his condition, with a stern reminder not to overwork himself. "We're really very fond of you, Morinaga-kun, but we'd prefer not to see you again."

Morinaga had smiled and promised that he'd try.

* * *

They needed a back up plan.

Kunihiro glanced at his brother, who was playing shogi with Kanako. Tetsuhiro seemed healthy and content-different from the event a week ago.

Kunihiro was glad. The excitement of their parents' arrival, and the consequences of it, was worth around a month's energy. It was already enough that Tetsuhiro got into an accident-more than enough. Kunihiro would appreciate it if things got boring for a while.

But still…

Souichi was not in the room. He was with Isogai, buying takeout for lunch (he adamantly refused to eat food from the hospital cafeteria.) Tomoe and Kurokawa were already in their hotel, packing for their flight out. They planned to visit later.

Souichi was willing to take Tetsuhiro back.

The question was, was he capable of it?

In as much as Kunihiro appreciated what Souichi had done for Tetsuhiro, he still didn't think that Souichi was capable of taking care of another human being, at least not someone who would need as much help as his brother. Souichi was loud and brash, the very person that would get impatient every time Tetsuhiro tripped. And based from what Saitou was telling them, Tetsuhiro would tend to trip a lot more from now on.

"Junya," he said now.

The man across him turned, away from where he was watching Tetsuhiro's game. His expression was open, expectant.

Junya, like him, would do anything for his brother. Even if it meant taking Tetsuhiro away…for his own good.

"I need you to do something for Tetsuhiro."

* * *

Morinaga was allowed to see his visitors off: Masaki, Kanako, Tomoe and Kurokawa were going to share a taxi to the bullet train. Once there, they would part ways.

Morinaga was starting to really hate the wheelchair, and everything it implied. His helplessness, his inability to walk in a straight line. He couldn't even turn his head without feeling that he was about to topple over.

He tried to hide it, though. He had Senpai by his side…and it seemed that he was really allowed to stay. That ought to be enough to keep him happy.

Kanako gave him a kiss on the cheek, while Tomoe gave him a hug. Kurokawa patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"You take care of yourself now," Kurokawa said.

"Of course. Thanks for everything, Kurokawa-san, Tomoe."

"We'll be here whenever you need us," Tomoe said. "As long as Nii-san tells us."

"I told you-you didn't need to know," snapped Souichi.

"But if we didn't come Morinaga-kun's parents would have forced him to go to counseling! You don't want that, do you?" Tomoe argued.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Souichi said.

"You were crying," commented Kurokawa idly.

"Of course I wasn't! Why would I cry?!" screamed Souichi. His face was completely red, bright as a beacon. It was as good as a confession.

"My shirt got wet," added Morinaga.

"Those were your own tears!"

"How can I cry into my own shirt when you were hugging me?" Morinaga asked, confused.

"You wiped your tears away!"

"It was the _back_ of my shoulder."

"Shut up!"

By now Tomoe and Kanako were laughing. "I've forgotten that you were always like this," Kanako said affectionately. "Oh, the taxi's finished loading our bags."

"Take care, Tetsuhiro," Masaki said, smiling. "I hope we can see each other more often."

And before any of them could stop him, Masaki drew Morinaga to him and kissed him on the cheek. Souichi yelled in total indignation, drowning out something that Masaki whispered in Morinaga's ear.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Souichi snarled, striding forward to pry them apart.

But Masaki had already let go of Morinaga, who was currently sitting stunned in his wheelchair. This didn't matter to Souichi, who continued ranting at Masaki. Masaki remained unruffled.

"What did he tell you?" Kunihiro whispered, as the taxi left.

Morinaga touched his cheek-the one that Masaki kissed-and smiled.

"He said that I could cry on his shoulder, too."

* * *

The next morning, Saitou and Peter discovered firsthand how short Souichi's temper really was.

They did just fine on Morinaga's morning stroll, but when Saitou took Kunihiro and Souichi to the physical therapy room, Souichi began to show signs of impatience within the first fifteen minutes. Saitou emphasized the care that Morinaga would need, and how they must always be standing ready in case he would fall. Morinaga could do most of the exercises himself, but there was always the chance that he would overbalance.

"These exercises are really simple. You might have known most of them in school," Saitou began. "But remember that they're not as easy for Morinaga-kun. He still has a broken arm, so these are designed not to strain him too much. Don't force therapy when he's feeling unwell. Morinaga-kun, you would have to be honest about how you're feeling during therapy. If you begin to feel so dizzy you can't stand, tell them. Morinaga-san, Tatsumi-san, your part is to give Morinaga-kun time, support and patience."

Kunihiro nodded, seemingly unperturbed. However, Souichi frowned. All of those seemed to be his weak points.

"Morinaga-kun can stand, for limited periods of time, with assistance. For now we're using these steel bars so that he can hold on to something, but we're hoping that by the end of next week, he can progress to a cane. There's nothing physically wrong with his legs. But if you are planning to live with Morinaga-kun, handrails should be installed throughout the house, especially in the bathroom. _Never _let Morinaga-kun out of your sight in the bathroom, as there's a greater possibility that he could fall and hit his head. Understand?"

"We have to bath with him?" Souichi spluttered, turning scarlet. Morinaga smiled slyly.

"Not necessarily," Saitou said absently, not seeing Morinaga's smile. "Just watch him in the bath."

"But-" Souichi protested.

"I understand, Saitou-san," Kunihiro interrupted. "Why don't we proceed?"

"Of course. Now, watch the therapy. I'll be allowing you to do these tomorrow by yourselves, I'll just be observing you. Keep repeating these exercises with Morinaga-kun until I tell you to proceed to the next level of exercises. Morinaga-kun, you'll have to drop in at least twice a week for an hour of outpatient physical therapy sessions. All right. Neck," Saitou prompted.

Morinaga was on his feet, propped between two steel bars. At Saitou's command he turned his head left, center, and right, doing eight repetitions. There seemed to be no problem.

"Good, Morinaga-kun. Now, shoulder."

This time Morinaga included his shoulders in his turns, so that the upper half of his body was also turned in that direction. Morinaga was being especially careful during the right turn, since it was the side where he hurt his arm. He fell after five repetitions.

Kunihiro and Souichi both lunged forward, but Saitou was faster. She steadied Morinaga, and assisted him in putting his arm on the bar. "Again, Morinaga-kun. From the top, eight repetitions."

"But he fell over," interjected Souichi.

"I'm fine, Senpai," Morinaga assured him.

"If we don't repeat the parts he has difficulty in, he'll not progress," Saitou said firmly. "If he can't do eight repetitions of any exercise, you must make him repeat it over again."

"That sounds tiring," Kunihiro commented.

"No pain, no gain," Saitou said dryly. By this time Morinaga had successfully done eight repetitions of his shoulder exercise and was moving on to torso. Saitou proceeded with a series of turning and rotating exercises that didn't seem much to Souichi, but were obviously giving Morinaga a hard time.

His kouhai fell over a few more times. Each time, Saitou was quicker at catching Morinaga than either Kunihiro or Souichi, which left them feeling rather foolish.

* * *

"And we have to do this every day?" Souichi groaned, when Saitou finally let them go after two hours. It was nine-thirty, enough for thirty minutes' rest before the stork came.

Morinaga was only a little tired. Without a word, Kunihiro went to a thermos to fix him some instant soup. Morinaga took the cup of soup gratefully.

"Saitou-san's very strict, but she's also very good," Morinaga told them. "Last week I couldn't even walk."

For Morinaga, to their surprise, could walk now, with the aid of steel bars attached to the wall. He was very slow, but if he could walk this early, it was an enormous achievement.

"I didn't know you could walk," admitted Kunihiro.

"I asked Saitou-san to make it a surprise. I still think we've got a long way to go, though."

"That woman is a slave driver," grumbled Souichi.

"Well, I'd say she get pretty good results," someone said mildly. Peter was in the doorway, holding two folders. "Good morning."

"You were supposed to be here at ten, not nine-forty five!" said Souichi.

"Early bird," Peter returned cheerfully. "These are for you."

He gave a folder each to Souichi and Kunihiro. "It's a list of the physical and speech therapies that Morinaga-kun needs to complete , for the first week at least. I've also consulted with Dad, Dr. Uzuki and a few other doctors. They've put in reminders to make your lives easier, so to speak. There's also a list of the medicine that Morinaga-kun should be getting, and their respective dosages. Please make sure to read them carefully. Additionally, and I'm sure that Saitou-san already told you, but giving Morinaga-kun support and patience is as important as medicine and therapy. I'm going you this a week ahead so that you can get ready for Morinaga-kun's release.

"Now, unlike Saitou-san's routine, speech therapy is not very physical. But it does require persistence, and discipline. You have to do these exercises every day. Morinaga-kun can do them on his own. Morinaga-san, Tatsumi-san, your job would be to make sure that Morinaga-kun does his exercises. Speech therapy is easier if the patient can imitate someone-try making him mirror certain facial expressions, so make sure you read the pages on speech therapy."

It was the longest speech they ever heard Peter say-not that he ever said much.

"So you're really a speech therapist," Souichi said at last.

"I've no idea that you thought I was a fake," Peter said, laughing slightly. "So, let's start, Morinaga-kun?"

* * *

Kunihiro proved himself reasonably proficient in assisting Morinaga's therapy, but Souichi had problems. He was always too impatient, and didn't understand why Morinaga needed to be praised for every small achievement.

"I told you, it's to encourage him," Saitou said patiently. "Now you better tell him like you mean it, or we'll start all over again."

Even Peter was having difficulty with Souichi. Souichi didn't like the mirroring exercises, which made up a big part of Morinaga's speech therapy. Souichi was supposed to do some facial expressions and have Morinaga mimic them, but he always complained, saying that the "faces were ridiculous."

"Quit complaining," Peter said, exasperated. "Your face won't freeze that way!"

"He's always like this, I don't really mind," Morinaga assured Peter.

"Your patience is commendable," retorted the stork. "But if Tatsumi-san is like this, we'll never get anywhere."

"We completed his exercises!" said Souichi.

Peter sighed. "Can I have a word with you outside? Tatsumi-san and Morinaga-san."

Morinaga looked quite worried when they trooped outside, but they didn't take long. After only five minutes they were back, both looking chastised. Morinaga just knew that Peter said something that hit home…quite accurately. And this was only Tuesday.

Peter poked his head in, choosing not to follow them inside. "I have another patient. Tomorrow, we'll try something different. Get some rest, Morinaga-kun."

And then Peter left, leaving Morinaga to wonder exactly what "something different" was.

"Senpai? Nii-san? What did Peter say?" Morinaga asked.

Kunihiro smiled. "Nothing terribly important."

Which meant it was very important. Morinaga glanced at Souichi, who was looking at his hands.

"Senpai?"

Souichi didn't respond.

"Senpai, don't take Peter too seriously. I know he meant well, but I really don't mind. I'm very happy you're helping with my therapy, It's more than enough."

Still, Souichi was obviously troubled, and Morinaga felt helpless that there was nothing he could do. It looked like his Senpai wanted to go through this alone.

Morinaga wanted to tell him that it would be all right, but he couldn't. At this point he wasn't sure that he could believe it himself.

* * *

They found out Peter's plans in physical therapy the next morning, where Saitou was waiting…with an Ipod.

"Peter told me that you're having difficulty with speech therapy, too," Saitou began, without waiting for them to ask. "Today we'll try therapy with music."

"Music?" all three of them chorused, incredulous.

"But I don't know how to dance!" Morinaga protested.

"Not dancing." Saitou grinned. "You can do the therapy as usual, but with background music."

"That doesn't sound so hard," Kunhiro admitted nervously. Like the other two men, he was not musically inclined.

"It doesn't," Saitou agreed.

And once the music started, it turned out surprisingly well. It was classical music, which was a bit strange, but bearable. All three of them found it easier to relax with music in the background.

"You're still not praising him," Saitou said critically, when they ended.

"Shut up, it's hard enough to catch him when he falls," muttered Souichi.

"Senpai!" exclaimed Morinaga, shocked that he would be so rude.

Saitou didn't seem impressed. "You're going to be doing a lot more of that from now on. Great work today, Morinaga-kun. I'll see you tomorrow."

Peter's session was strange: he brought them to a room with an upright piano, and instructed them to carry on with therapy while he played.

"You play the piano?" Kunihiro said, looking surprised.

"Since I was ten, yes. I was part of the team that introduced classical music as an aid for physical and speech therapies. Usually it's more advanced than this-basic dance lessons for physical therapy and voice lessons for speech therapy. The Nagoya General Hospital is still studying the effects of music in therapy. We're covering a wide range of age groups, and on different kinds of injuries, too."

"I never knew that," Morinaga said, amazed.

"So does it work?" Souichi inquired.

Peter shrugged. "So far? Yes. In varying degrees, of course. Children seem to be the ones who benefit most from the music. We're setting some stipulations, of course. One, we only use classical music. For another, Nagoya General is one of the very few hospitals in Japan who allow music therapy. And generally, people do better in therapy when the music is being played on an instrument, compared to a recording. Seriously, I could go on and waste our whole hour explaining this, but we need to carry on. Any request, Morinaga-kun?"

"You can play anything?"

Peter shrugged. "I'll tell you if I can't."

"Then, Claire de Lune, please."

Peter smiled, nodded, and began to play. He gestured for them to begin, as well.

* * *

Peter was quite good at playing the piano. Souichi remembered that he had actually noticed Peter's elegant fingers during the first time they met.

Music ended up being the key- with it, Morinaga progressed faster than any of them would have believed possible. He still fell in physical therapy, but he had greater stamina. Saitou and Peter ended up changing all their therapies to include music.

By the time the weekend came around, everyone was optimistic about Morinaga's recovery progress. They thanked all the doctors who helped them, then proceeded to Souichi and Morinaga's apartment, where Kanako, Matsuda-san, Hiroto, Masaki and Isogai were waiting. They had a small dinner party celebrating Morinaga's return. No alcoholic drinks were served, but it was quite noisy enough.

After the dinner, Kunihiro and Masaki left for their hotel, promising to come over tomorrow morning before they returned to Tokyo. Kanako would sleep at Matsuda-san's house, and Isogai offered to drive them there. Hiroto had work. Souichi walked them to the street, and by the time he returned, Morinaga was on his bed, still fully clothed, completely asleep.

He got tired with only coming home and eating dinner?

Souichi glanced at the clock. It was only nine. He entered the bedroom and removed Morinaga's shoes, grunting with effort.

"Good night, Morinaga," Souichi murmured.

Morinaga grunted sleepily in reply. For the first time in a month, Souichi smiled.

Morinaga was here, at last. This apartment was home again.

* * *

Back in his room, Souichi became free to think about more important things. First, what would happen to their life from now on? He would have to go to the University tomorrow and tell Yanagi-sensei that he was taking the offer…No, wait, tomorrow was a Saturday and no one would be in the offices. He would have to take care of Morinaga's therapies and then run over to the drugstore to see about the bandages and medicine. And…to the grocery store for Morinaga's food. Soft diet, Dr. Uzuki had said, but what did that mean exactly?

Damn that Morinaga, making him do everything.

And, there was a piece of paper on his desk. A different kind of paper, from the notepad around Peter's neck. There was an address scribbled on the paper. He remembered, quite clearly, how he had come to receive it.

* * *

_Peter took them outside on that very first teaching session that they had, shortly after Souichi declared that it was enough that they completed the therapy. _

"_Morinaga-san, Tatsumi-san, first of all, I'd like to thank you for staying with Morinaga-kun for this long. I know it hasn't been easy, especially the thing about your parents."_

_Peter's tone was still polite, but both Kunihiro and Souichi knew enough to realize that Peter would not have called them to the hallway just to thank them for sticking with Morinaga._

"_I'd also like to remind you that healing is psychological as much as it is physical. We might recommend medicine, a balanced diet, send him to therapy, but's equally important that the patient wants to heal. In his head, in his heart, he needs to want to be better. And that's not going to happen if he senses that you efforts are half-hearted. Completing the exercises is not going to be enough. If he senses that you think he is a bother, he might want to heal, but for others, not for himself. We would end up with a patient who wants to please others. In the limited time that I've been with Morinaga-kun, I'm sensing that he needs approval from others, more so since his parents just left him. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Peter's tone was sharp, bordering on annoyed._

_Both men nodded silently. _

"_Very well. You can go back in. I have to make my rounds."_

_Kunihiro and Souichi turned towards the door, but Peter stopped Souichi. _

"_Wait."_

"_Haven't you lectured us enough?" Souichi grumbled. _

_Peter laughed. "It's going to happen a lot less than you're anticipating, so don't worry. No, what I really wanted to say is that if there's one day that you might need me for anything, you can go here." The stork handed him a piece of paper. "By the way, Yama told me that he told you about us."_

_Kunihiro was looking on, mildly curious._

"_He already told me everything." Souichi said coldly. _

"_I wouldn't put it past him to lie." The stork smiled sadly. "Keep the address. You'll need it, I think."_

* * *

In the present time, Souichi picked up the piece of paper.

"What does he mean, I'll need it?"

The address on the paper was for a respectable part of town. Peter's clinic?

"And why would that bartender lie?"

* * *

Somewhere in the city, not too far away from Souichi and Morinaga's apartment, Kunihiro and Masaki were talking.

"Did it go as planned?" Kunihiro asked Masaki.

"Yes."

* * *

A/N: That took longer than I thought. Hopefully you weren't too bored, lovely reader-I am dropping hints about what's ahead. Look forward to the next chapters!

I promise there's a point to all this. I am just realizing now that I am leaving you with another cliffhanger, not as bad, but I'm slowly revealing the reason why I chose those words for the summary.

Seriously, Souichi is bad at romance, ne?

Oh, and about music intervention being used in therapy. I made it up. There are actually very little studies on this, and the results aren't that conclusive. But the bit of physical therapy that Morinaga undergoes in this chapter is real-those are being used in vestibular physical therapy, which is the physical therapy that focuses on balance. No, I am not a physical therapist.

Lovely reviewers: thank you so much!

_**Lady Tsuru27:**_ I usually update BB very late at night-11pm-ish.I go to sleep almost right afterwards, so it's amazing that you get to see it around half an hour after I post it. And the idea about Soujin is really quite good. I'll have to look for him in the jungles of Africa or something. And here's a hint about Peter and Hiroto: Hiroto lied to Souichi. A lie of omission, but still a lie. Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: I think the disaster is just coming, haha. But yes, you're very right-Souichi's life would change with Morinaga's accident, especially since Souichi said he'd still take back Morinaga. Wait for the next chapters! Thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: You're welcome! And here's your next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: Souichi gets defensive of the weirdest things-see how he denied letting Mori cry on his shoulder in this chapter? And he was practically suggesting that Mori could be a contortionist. And, as I've told Lady Tsuru, Hiroto omitted a few major things when he and Peter talked. You guys will find out the complete story, I promise. Thanks for your review!

_**fullmoon**_: Hiroto es una persona interesante, su historia con Pedro también es un poco triste. Y no creo que Mori podría ir muy lejos en la terapia si Souichi es su maestro. Ah, la tortura. Gracias por tu comentario!

_**Miny**_: Yes, there's more to Hiroto's story, and you will all find out in a few more chapters. Souichi's such a bad therapist, though-the profession is definitely not for him, haha. Thanks for your review!

_**souichitatsumi**_: Yes, i have a habit of planting things early so I can use them later on. This chapter will also prove important later, though it might seem like nothing is happening now. I'm not sure about the hidden feelings, Souichi tries to deny everything- did you see him trying to say that Mori could cry on his own shoulder when he has a head injury? honestly. haha. i hope that i keep on meeting you expectations! Thanks for your review!

_**inuyasha**__****__3_3: i've finished school (all the way to college, haha!) so i can say i know how you feel. you're welcome, and thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: I've almost finished making Hiroto and Peter's story, mentally anyway. You're right that there is more to it, and it will also impact Souichi and Morinaga. I never meant for Hiroto and Peter the main story, just a back story, but you lovely readers ended up liking it more than i could anticipate. look forward to it! You'll know the truth later. thanks for your review!

**Review, my lovelies, or the Easter Bunny won't visit this Christmas.**


	14. Domesticated Day

A/N: Most of this chapter will be in Morinaga's point of view. Poor dear, I've really been neglecting him.

Disclaimer: I'm not Batman.

* * *

Souichi didn't know if it was the combination of the tasks left to him, but he rose earlier than usual that morning. Morinaga was still asleep when he'd checked on him.

Summer was starting. It was lucky-if it could ever be called lucky-that Morinaga had his accident so close to the summer break. There were less projects at the laboratory, so Souichi could focus on Morinaga.

It worried him slightly that Kunihiro had just let Morinaga go. Yesterday, Kunihiro helped him with Morinaga's first therapy outside the hospital. And helped him with preparing food. Still, Souichi knew that the man was up to something.

The only victory he could claim was in forbidding Masaki to set one toe in the apartment. He maintained, fiercely, that there was no need for Morinaga's former lover. Morinaga was looking very conflicted, so Masaki did the noble thing and bowed out.

And that seemed to be it. Souichi could detect nothing wrong with the way that Kunihiro and Morinaga parted, and that was troublesome.

At least they were gone now. Whatever they were planning, they were in Tokyo. It couldn't possibly affect him.

Souichi opened a packet of instant rice porridge and emptied it into a pan of water. Then he opened the stove and put the pan over the flame. This ought to count as soft diet-right?

Right.

He took the folder Peter gave them, made a cup of coffee, then settled into the couch to read.

* * *

Morinaga woke up that Tuesday morning disoriented. He wasn't in the hospital, so where was he?

Finally it clicked. He had gone home. With Senpai. He smiled. He'd been a bit worried about their first day together, but since Kunihiro helped prepare the meals, they'd at least had something to eat.

He still couldn't walk a lot. During therapy they had used the dining table in place of the steel bars (it worked surprisingly well), but otherwise Morinaga was in a wheelchair. It humiliated him.

He wasn't used to being looked after. Ever since he left home, he'd always been able to fend for himself. He put himself through school and lived normally. He'd even wanted to provide for Senpai that time while they were living together.

But now he had to depend on someone for everything. His right arm was still in a sling, and doing things with his left hand was awkward. Fortunately it was only broken in two places, not three. His upper right arm was already mended, but his radius and ulna were still healing. Dr. Uzuki said it might take three months to heal.

The other break was luckily just a hairline fracture.

Still, he had to do everything one-handed, and not even with his dominant arm. He felt guilty for leaving Senpai to the housework-he'd always taken care of it before. Maybe he could help? Throwing clothes in the wash should be no problem, and folding clothes even less so. He could keep the house clean at least.

Morinaga was happy that Senpai had wanted him to stay, but at the same time he was afraid that Souichi didn't really think it through. His Senpai did have that tendency…that impulsive quality was something that Morinaga usually loved, such as when Senpai stood up for him. Senpai would be violent then, punching Kunihiro and shoeing their father, but it was all an impulse.

And then he would grow afraid. They lived together only because of chance-and also because Morinaga was good at housework. Now that advantage was gone, what would make Souichi want to keep him? Souichi was such an impulsive person, this arrangement might just be the latest example.

How can he make Senpai want to hold on to him?

Morinaga would've continued with his contemplations if not for the sudden loud grumble of his stomach. He was hungry, he realized, hungrier than he could ever remember during breakfast. Dr. Miura had warned him that his appetite might be bigger than usual, since he was still healing…this must be it.

Morinaga was at least determined to get to his wheelchair on his own. He had it by the side of his bed. Reaching over resulted in some pain from his broken arm, but he gritted his teeth and bore it. He had to do this, or Senpai would just get impatient with him…and leave him like his parents did.

Progress was slow. It took him ten minutes just to sit up. He was just scooting over the chair when he smelled something burning.

Morinaga shot up in alarm. Was Senpai asleep?! "Senpai!" he hollered from his bedroom. "Something's burning!"

He thought he heard a series of clatters, a dash of footsteps. Morinaga shoved himself onto his wheelchair, wincing at the sudden movement. He wheeled himself as quickly as he could to their kitchen, his hunger forgotten.

Souichi was at the counter, waving smoke away from their best pan…or something that had been their best pan. His Senpai was also cursing-quite an earful for a Tuesday morning.

"What happened?" Morinaga asked dumbly.

"I lost track of time," Souichi said, annoyed. "I was going to make breakfast, then I sat there reading, and the next thing I knew, this was going up in smoke." He held up the pan, which he was now scrubbing.

"What were you making?" Morinaga asked curiously, coming closer to Souichi. Morinaga didn't think that Souichi knew how to cook, but maybe he was planning to make something simple, like eggs. "Senpai, you're not supposed to be distracted while cooking."

"I know that now," muttered Souichi, blushing.

Morinaga stared at the leftover mess on the stove. There were globs of charred…somethings, that were definitely not eggs. Souichi was still busy cleaning the pan. Morinaga poked the blobby things, afraid that it was still alive. Realization suddenly dawned on him and he worked hard to suppress a grin.

"Senpai?"

"Yes?"

"How did you manage to burn porridge?"

* * *

Two hours later, Souichi was _still_ sulking, even though Morinaga promised that he'd teach Senpai how to cook. Morinaga honestly didn't know what to do. On one hand, Senpai was so cute when he was like that…and they were now alone, as they had not been in more than a month. It made Morinaga want to kiss him.

On the other hand, Souichi was more likely to thrash him if Morinaga attempted to romance Souichi out of his depression. His senpai wouldn't even remember that Morinaga was still in a wheelchair with a broken arm.

So he did the next best thing: he decided to act as if nothing happened. It was now nearly eleven and time to start thinking about lunch. They had to start early because they just had bread and coffee for breakfast.

Kanako had stocked the closets and the fridge. Morinaga made a mental note to thank her-he'd been worried about Senpai's eating habits. For all Morinaga knew, Souichi had been eating convenience store bento. And smoking.

But that was another strange thing in the house: there was no indication that Souichi had been smoking in the apartment. No ashtrays or furniture that smelled of nicotine. Kanako must've been vacuuming, too.

"What would you like for lunch, Senpai?" Morinaga asked Souichi.

"I don't know, you're the cooking expert," Souichi snapped.

"Senpai, come on, I don't mind that you don't know how to cook. I told you, you can learn, right?"

"Forget it. I'll just ruin half the food I make."

"That would only mean I'm a bad teacher. Come and help me decide, Senpai."

"Look, let's just order something out. Don't cook."

"Why? Kanako-chan has stocked our food. I think we can even cook hot pot, though it's summer…"

"No!" Souichi lurched to his feet and grabbed Morinaga's wheelchair, abruptly whipping him away from the fridge.

The sudden movement had bad effects. Morinaga felt a wave of dizziness that took him completely by surprise, making him slump over with a soft cry.

"Shit! Morinaga! Are you okay?" Souichi yelled. He bent down and tried to make him sit up again.

"Senpai…please don't shout…" Morinaga whimpered. The room was spinning and he thought that his breakfast was about to make a return trip.

Souichi was rubbing his shoulders frantically. It felt kind of nice, but it was still a few seconds until Morinaga stopped feeling like he was about to throw up. He raised his head an inch.

Senpai's face was very close, his eyes wild with worry. "Are you okay?" Souichi whispered.

"Hmm…I'm fine," Morinaga panted. "Don't worry, Senpai."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"It's NOT fine!" shouted Souichi. "You-how can you say it's nothing?"

Bewildered now, Morinaga stared. "Senpai. Is this still about the food?"

"You-NO! Aurgh! Useless!" Souichi turned away and stomped to his bedroom, slamming his door shut. Morinaga gaped like an idiot for a few seconds, then followed. He knocked on the door.

"Senpai?"

"Go away!" was the immediate response.

"Senpai? Senpai, I don't understand. Is this about not being able to cook? That's all right. I don't mind. I'll teach you. It's easy, see? I won't let you burn-"

"That's not it!" Souichi retorted. "Don't you get it?"

"I don't really know what you're talking about, Senpai, but we won't get very far if there's a door between us. Can I open the door at least?"

"No!"

Morinaga paused. Maybe Souichi saw that Morinaga had wanted to kiss him? Or…Morinaga really didn't know. He was an idiot, but he must have done something to make Souichi act this way.

"Senpai, I don't know why you're so upset, but I'm really sorry. Forgive me?"

There was a lengthy pause. Then Souichi said, "The door's unlocked."

The door was unlocked. So? Senpai wasn't mad? And what was he saying? That Morinaga could come in?

Morinaga turned the knob and pushed the door open hesitantly. If he was wrong-if Souichi was still mad enough to keep him out of the room he'd just throw a pillow or something.

But Souichi didn't react at all when Morinaga wheeled himself into the room. His Senpai was on the bed, facing away from him. He seemed very upset.

"Senpai?"

"You…I don't know why you don't understand. You really don't know?"

"Know? Know what?"

Souichi sat up suddenly, his eyes blazing. "You're so clueless!"

"Senpai, I really can't read your mind."

"You broke your promise!"

"What promise?" Morinaga said at once. He mentally ran over the list of promises he made to Souichi, but couldn't find one that he just broke. Did he promise never to make him cook?

"After the fire, you said…that you won't…worry me again," Souichi said. He seemed very annoyed-it was normal, if not for the fact that Souichi was shaking. "Do you have any idea how much I've worried this past month? You could've died, you idiot! Moron! Then you forgot me! You let that moron Masaki visit you! And you still keep on worrying about your parents! You can't walk and you get dizzy easily, you need to be taken care of and I can't do it! I can't!"

By this point, Morinaga's mouth had dropped open in surprise. "Senpai…was….worried…about me?"

"That's why I said you were clueless! Idiot!" Souichi blushed angrily, then buried his head into a pillow. Morinaga could tell that Souichi was still mumbling several varieties of the word "idiot".

Morinaga sat still, gazing at Senpai. It was true that he had forgotten about that promise. His memory was still sketchy, and he was preoccupied with the pain that plagued him most days. He hadn't thought about how Souichi would feel about all of this. Not at all.

But now that he thought about it, he should've known that Souichi would be worried. It was just in Souichi's nature. Morinaga felt remorseful that he'd pushed Souichi into something like this. He should've realized…when Souichi visited him every day, how did he stand it? Souichi must've fixed his job schedules just to stay by his side.

And…Souichi couldn't cook or clean. Morinaga left him alone, when he should've been taking care of his Senpai.

But…was it so bad that Souichi was trembling? Was it like this every night, when Souichi came home to an empty apartment? All he wanted was for Morinaga to stay by his side, and he couldn't even fulfill that.

"I'm sorry, Senpai. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, or to cause you problems." Morinaga very carefully pushed himself out of the wheelchair and sat on the bed. "We…can work on this together, all right? I'll still stay by your side."

Souichi lifted his face out of the pillow. "Just as long as you understand," He growled.

"Senpai," Morinaga said suddenly, "May I kiss you?"

"What?!"

"Well, it's just that…you look so cute-"

"Don't call me fucking cute!" Souichi screamed, now brick red for a different reason.

"…And we haven't been really alone in the hospital. I've missed you so much. Didn't you miss me?"

"You're blackmailing me again," Souichi accused.

"Yes, I am," Morinaga said, completely unashamed. "May I kiss you?"

Souichi's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. He looked like he wanted to drop Morinaga in boiling oil (not that it would have had good results, given Souichi's culinary skills). Then he nodded minutely. "Just a kiss, all right?"

Morinaga smiled-the kind of smile that made Souichi's heart ache. Then he leaned forward, closing his eyes, and Souichi found his eyes closing as well.

The kiss started out simple and sweet-their lips met, shyly, as if they were strangers sharing their first kiss. Morinaga grew braver when Souichi responded, even putting his arm around Morinaga. Their kiss became deeper, tongues meeting in a forgotten dance.

"Senpai," Morinaga breathed. He dipped his head to kiss his Souichi again and again, until they grew breathless and had to stop. "Senpai, I love you."

Somehow they had ended up lying on the bed, arms wrapped around each other. Morinaga leaned in and kissed Souichi's cheek, trailing downwards to his neck.

"You-ah! Said it was only kissing," Souichi said, annoyed. Morinaga's hand was wandering further and further down his shirt. He gazed downwards. "You fucking pervert! Why are you hard?!"

Morinaga pulled back. "Senpai," he said calmly, "You're hard too."

* * *

A/N: * throws confetti in the air *As you might have guessed from this chapter, the next one up will be rated M. If this is an issue with you, please feel free to skip the first half (or first third) of the next chapter when it comes out. But starting next chapter, BB will be in the mature section. I hope that no one misses out the next chapter just because of that. M-rated stories are not shown by default.

I'm sorry to make you wait 14 chapters for this, but I have some serious issues about writing about doing it in the hospital...

This is the first chapter that Souichi and Morinaga are really alone-and the first chapter that I did with Morinaga as the "main" point of view. I'm not sure how I did. I don't always agree with the things that he worries about, though.

Lovely, lovely reviewers!

**_Amity33_**: This chapter is more of a romance-tag between Souichi and Morinaga-which is really not one of my strengths but also something I feel is lacking. Don't worry, there's more reveletions to come in the coming chapters! thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: I don't think that wish would come true, sadly. He's just the kind of person who bullies the people he cares about...with the exception of Kurokawa, I suppose. * laughs * Hope this chapter made you smile! Thanks for your review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: This is manga-verse-I'm not sure how different the anime really is. Would you believe that I actually had to re-read a few chapters of Tyrant just to get Souichi's personality right in this chapter? Yeah. No other characters in this chapter except for the two main ones, so I think you'll have to wait for the next for the sneaky plans! Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: I know, right? Just remind me never to make Souichi cook again, or the apartment will burn faster than you can say cracker jack. Haha. I hope you don't hate me too much for the cliffie! Thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: I was actually contemplating a shower scene, but then I remembered that Morinaga can't even stand up for more than ten minutes. NOt exactly ideal conditions, haha! Thanks for your review!

_**Miny**_: Let's all hope that Souichi doesn't accidentally kill Morinaga with his cooking. Kunihiro's sneaky plans will be revealed soon! Thanks for your review!

_**souichitatsumi:**_ Souichi really does tend to put his feelings first, but I hope that I've shown in this chapter that he worries about Morinaga too. He just doesn't know how to show it, ne? And I'm happy you compared it to the manga,I've always been insecure that I somehow get them OOC. I think it's extra hard on Souichi because he does realize that Morinaga would take care of him if the situation was reversed-and he feels bad that he can't do the same. Thanks for your review!

**Review, and save the flying velociraptors from becoming extinct.** **You know you want to! * moonwalks away ***


	15. Pride and Prejudice

A/N: Hello, my lovelies. the bridge is starting to burn.

Disclaimer: There is unfortunately no cure to Souichi's culinary skills.

* * *

Souichi blushed from hairline to chin. "We-we shouldn't be doing this anyway, you're injured!"

Morinaga's response was to nuzzle his nose against the hollow of Souichi's shoulder. "That's why I'll need your help."

Damn it, but Morinaga was making it hard to think. His every move seemed to be calculated to transform his brain to mush-his hand on Souichi's chest, his leg moving toward the gap between Souichi's thighs. And it was true, Souichi's body was responding. Morinaga kissed him again and again, until Souichi was gasping for breath.

Just who was injured here? Morinaga certainly seemed enthusiastic.

"Senpai," Morinaga whispered after a few minutes, "Do you want this?"

"You ask that now," Souichi snapped. "Are you going to leave me like this?"

Morinaga smiled against Souichi's lips. "Then you have to undress yourself."

"What?!"

Morinaga held up his broken arm, still encased in plaster.

_If my body heats up any more I'd spontaneously combust_, thought Souichi furiously, unbuttoning his shirt. Morinaga helped him tug off his jeans.

"Senpai, you're beautiful," Morinaga said, still smiling.

Morinaga's fingers were everywhere. Every nerve in Souichi's body felt like a live wire. Morinaga knew all the places that would make Souichi squirm. It wasn't long before he was muffling his moans into the crook of his hand.

Then his kouhai was touching his cock, too, and a wave of pleasure shot through Souichi. Morinaga was breathing hard, though he tried to cover it up by kissing Souichi's chest. Souichi felt the heat rising within him and knew he was close to release.

"Morinaga-I-ah!"

Morinaga blinked stupidly after Souichi came. He looked mildly stunned. "Senpai, I haven't even really done anything. You haven't been touching yourself?"

"How can I waste my time with that when you-you were…" Anger and embarrassment were warring in Souichi. "Do you think I can do that when I didn't even know if you were coming home or not?!"

Morinaga softened. "I'm sorry, Senpai. I'm so sorry." He planted a kiss on the side of Souichi's mouth, murmuring, "I didn't mean to worry you." His hand was on Souichi's back, rubbing in comforting circles. Souichi couldn't help but lean into the touch.

"Well you did, you idiotic pervert!" Souichi was determinedly NOT looking at Morinaga.

"I was scared, too," Morinaga said simply.

"You-what?"

"I was scared that I wouldn't be able to go back to you. I don't…remember the accident much. Just this awful feeling…of falling…" Morinaga seemed ashamed of his weakness. "Then, when I did wake, up, I forgot you. I hurt you so much, and I'm sorry. You did so much for me. You stayed by my side and defended me from my parents. You took me back when I can't do anything to repay you-"

"Who said anything about repayment?" Souichi glared at Morinaga, finally meeting his eyes. "How many times must I repeat myself? I want you here. If I really minded I would've told you! If I hated this kind of r-relationship I would've kicked you out. I want you to stay, so…so…get it already! You're smart, aren't you?"

Oh boy. How did it come to this? Stupid Morinaga and his insecurities. Now Souichi was practically declaring himself to..what? Love? Loving Morinaga?

Morinaga's face lit up with a beautiful smile. "I love you, Senpai," Morinaga repeated.

Then Morinaga was kissing him again, hot and passionate, and Souichi was kissing back. There was none of the hesitation from earlier, both of them wanting only to make their feelings known. They pressed their bodies together, needy, wanting. Before long Souichi found himself on his knees with Morinaga buried in him-they hadn't tried this position before but he realized that this was one of the very few ways that they could still have sex in Morinaga's position.

Something was wrong with Souichi's voice. All he could say was Morinaga's name and a series of loud gasps and moans that embarrassed him, but it felt so good-all so-good-that he couldn't ask Morinaga to stop. Then Morinaga came inside him, his body spasming with the effort it took.

* * *

Souichi put his phone on the top of his table. So in the end, they ordered takeout-a very late takeout. It was better than Morinaga cooking, since he couldn't even chop vegetables on the kitchen counter, let alone light a stove.

Morinaga was sleeping in his room. It only took one round to knock him out-and Morinaga looked exhausted to boot. It seemed like Souichi really needed to limit the sex, since Morinaga had no sense of moderation.

But Souichi had to admit that he had missed the feel of Morinaga's body against his. It wasn't that he was getting fond of it, but he had needed to feel that Morinaga was really here, in body. He had been truly scared that he lost him-to the accident, to amnesia, to Masaki, to his scumbag parents. Each time he just managed to cling to Morinaga.

But for now he would have to adjust to a life with a mostly helpless Morinaga. The accident with the porridge upset him more than Morinaga could understand, because if Souichi couldn't even cook a simple packet of instant porridge, what would happen later on? It had never bothered him before, this horrendous lack of domestic skill, but it seemed that re really would have to take lessons from Morinaga. He wasn't overjoyed, mainly because Morinaga was patient and Souichi hated feeling indulged. He hated to think that any skill was beyond him, period. Especially a skill that was so badly needed now.

Souichi's eyes fell on his laptop. Oh well, he supposed he could always do research.

* * *

The next few days were uneventful. Souichi learned, to his chagrin, that watching a cooking show and actually doing the cooking were two very different things-he still needed Morinaga's help. Morinaga was patient, but there were a few times when Souichi's temper got the better of him-for example, splashing Morinaga with hot soup or nearly slicing Morinaga's finger off when Souichi tried to chop a carrot.

Yanagi-sensei was ecstatic to have him teaching. His first subject was Introduction to Chemistry Research, which was also all that he would be teaching for the first semester. He was scheduled to attend a few teaching seminars so that he would not be overwhelmed with his load. He would also continue his research, accepting grants and supplies-but not outside the city. He couldn't leave Morinaga alone.

Morinaga, for his part, received some work adjustments too. His bosses at S Pharmaceutical told him that he could take another month off, but his duties when he got back would be confined to a desk job-at least until the doctor said that it was okay to do otherwise. Morinaga was disappointed-he was still the same person inside, after all. He still wanted to get up and move around. He hated relying on Senpai.

Morinaga managed to practice walking a few steps every day, sometimes without assistance. At first he was thrilled to have Souichi's arms around him as he walked, but it got tiresome quickly, especially since Souichi was usually scowling as he did it. He was starting to think that it was all a mistake-their living together although Souichi was so clearly unwilling to touch him.

Morinaga was stuck in the apartment while Souichi worked, since Souichi refused to let him go down the apartment stairs. It was also Souichi who did all their grocery shopping-in fact, he'd taken over most of Morinaga's old duties.

After that first time, they had not slept together. Souichi insisted that Morinaga was in no condition to sleep with a sock puppy, and he certainly wasn't having him in his bed.

It was also down in the apartment's contract that they were not allowed to change any part of it. The railings could not be installed. Souichi and Morinaga had no choice but to move out, but-as Dr. Uzuki said- that kind of apartment was hard to find.

On the brighter side of things, the music therapy was still working. It did more than help Morinaga recover-it also helped Souichi relax during therapy. There was just something about classical music (the soft, soothing kind that was prescribed in Peter's program) that was just right to soothe their increasingly frayed nerves.

Kurokawa, Tomoe, Kanako and Isogai were also constant callers. Morinaga had gotten a new phone on the night of his welcome-back party, and Souichi's family kept the loneliness at bay. He also had his doctors on his phone- Dr. Uzuki and Dr. Miura called at least once a day, as did Peter and Saitou. Peter was simply delighted that his program was working so well-he'd informed them that he only ever used it on children or senior citizens, but the Morinaga's reaction to the treatment opened up a whole new set of possibilities. That was about as far as Morinaga could understand before Peter started babbling about psychomotor and speech skills and how they relate to music.

* * *

When Morinaga was alone in the apartment, he usually spent it doing research on his condition, or watching TV. Sometimes he practiced walking-secretly, Souichi was still not allowing him to move around too much.

But he needed to do this. Souichi was becoming more impatient with him, despite the words he'd said that day. He had to recover soon.

* * *

Two weeks passed by swiftly.

When Souichi came home one night, he found Morinaga on the phone. Morinaga was smiling as he spoke-something that Morinaga rarely did these days. Souichi had suspicions about who he was talking to.

A few seconds later his guess was confirmed.

"All right. Senpai's here now. You better get back to your work before you're late. I know. Thanks, Masaki-san."

Masaki? He was still calling Masaki?

When Morinaga lifted his head, it was to face a very angry Souichi.

"Hey, Senpai, welcome ho-"

"Why are you still speaking to Masaki?"

Morinaga frowned. "He called me and asked me how I was doing. I can hardly hang up on him, now can I?"

Souichi clenched his fists. Morinaga never looked that happy when he was talking with Souichi, nor in all the times that Souichi visited the hospital. Morinaga only gave that special smile to Masaki.

"I don't like you talking to him."

"What-why? Senpai, there's nothing between us, I swear."

"I don't care! He hurt you once, he could hurt you again!"

"Senpai, he already knows that! He's sorry. He would never do it again."

"How do you know, you dolt?!" seethed Souichi.

"He was there in the hospital. He's never been anything but supportive. Senpai, please, he's just a friend now."

"I told you not to meet him again. You told me you wouldn't! You break all your promises don't you?"

"I'm not meeting him!" Morinaga yelled in frustration. "I'm just talking to him! Or are you going to forbid that too?"

"Yes!" roared Souichi.

Morinaga stared at him, utterly stunned. "Senpai, take that back. Please take it back."

"Why should I? I don't like you meeting him or talking to him!"

It was really an unfair argument, because Morinaga was still in his wheelchair, and Souichi was towering over him. And Masaki was his friend-only his friend, Souichi realized that, but there were so many things that Morinaga gave Masaki, things that Morinaga never gave Souichi.

Slowly, Morinaga's eyes filled with pain and disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Senpai, I can't do that."

"Why not?" Souichi shot back "Or do you still have feelings for-"

"Senpai!" Morinaga said sharply. "I told you, I don't love him anymore! I love you. It's always been you for the past five years. I've been telling you that for how long?"

Souichi glared at Morinaga, still angry, and unable to see anything past his anger.

"I…" Morinaga looked away. "I'm going to take a bath. It was supposed to be for you, but I think hot water won't do you any good."

"Fine. Whatever." Souichi bit back, stalking to his room. He could feel Morinaga's eyes boring a hole into his back as he went.

* * *

Morinaga let the warm water relax his body, taking the lightly scented air deep into his lungs. Another argument, great. And about Masaki-san no less.

He didn't really know why Senpai was so upset about Masaki. It wasn't like they were in a relationship now. Hadn't Morinaga proved time and time again that he loved only Senpai? Hadn't he told him often enough?

He sighed. Maybe…maybe it was too much to hope that they would grow closer because of his accident. He thought, like Souichi, that after he overcame the physical pain of his injuries Souichi would become more supportive of him. Instead, it only seemed to grow worse. Souichi was taking on a job Morinaga doubted he wanted because they needed a new apartment for Mor naga's condition.

In the past, it had been the other way around. In the past, it had been Morinaga who had wanted to provide for Senpai, who had been willing to leave his job to ensure their finances. Souichi had been angry and Morinaga hadn't understood why at that time.

But now Morinaga understood. Karma did strike back, and even though he was gay, he had his pride. He didn't like being provided for. It was true that he had enjoyed teaching Senpai how to cook and clean, because it felt like there was still something that he could do. Something that he could give back for Senpai who wanted him.

His lessons with Senpai also made him forget how much he didn't like the results of the accident-not just the physical things, though he hated those too, but those things like not being able to get out of the apartment and being confined to a desk job. Maybe that was why he liked talking with Masaki. He could talk about these things with him. It wasn't that Senpai didn't listen, it was just that Souichi didn't have the patience to. And then Souichi would probably do Something Impulsive that made Morinaga regret confiding in him in the first place-the most recent argument with Souichi being the latest example.

Well, whatever his tussle with Senpai was, he couldn't stay long in the water or he'd wrinkle like a prune. Already the scented bath was making him slightly dizzy, and he did have to fill the bathtub again for Senpai's bath.

Morinaga stood-or tried to stand-because that was when things started to go wrong.

He remembered being on his feet for all of two seconds before he slipped in the water, his right side hitting the bathroom wall. Pain shot down his shoulder and his injured arm. Any sound he might have made was muffled when his head sank in the bathwater. Morinaga gasped, instantly panicking, and water rushed through his nose and mouth.

He spluttered, trying to breathe, or at least get out of the water, but he could no longer tell which way was up. He could taste blood in the water-had he bitten his lip when he fell?

Senpai. He had to call for Senpai.

No. Senpai wasn't here. He flailed wildly. His hands were out of the water but they couldn't find anything to hold onto, because he couldn't rise out of the water by the force of his torso alone-

This wasn't included in therapy-

Black dots exploded in his vision. Morinaga shook his head, trying to hold onto consciousness, something, anything. He hit his head against something hard and he belatedly realized that it was probably the side of the bathtub.

Finally his grasping fingers found the edge of the bathtub-and just in time too, because he was running out of air and on the verge of losing consciousness. He pulled himself up, only to realize that he used his injured arm.

Pain-black and heavy- pulled him under.

* * *

Morinaga had been in the bathroom for nearly half an hour.

At first Souichi didn't care-He didn't really want to talk to Morinaga right now, and hear him plead for Masaki. Masaki didn't deserve it. Didn't deserve Morinaga.

But after a while Souichi had to check on Morinaga. Ever since they'd gone back home, they had an agreement to leave the bathroom door open when Morinaga bathed. Souichi had adamantly refused to be in the bathroom with him while Morinaga bathed, saying that it was the last thing that a pervert like Morinaga needed. Morinaga had pointed out that it would be him and not Souichi who would be naked but Souichi didn't want to hear it.

The door was closed. That might have been his fault-Souichi had the habit of closing doors when he wanted privacy, a product of having two wretchedly snoopy younger siblings and a father who let his exotic bugs loose in the house. It made sense that Morinaga might have adopted those same habits.

"Oi." Souichi rapped on the door. "Oi, you idiot, what's taking you so long in there?"

No answer.

"Oi! Did you hear me? 'Cause I'm feeling tired as hell and want to take a bath!"

Silence.

"Oi, Morinaga, are you still in there?"

Nothing.

"Morinaga? I swear if you're ignoring me I'm going break your other arm!"

That last threat should've made Morinaga respond-he always did, whenever Souichi threatened him with serious bodily injury. But Morinaga still didn't answer.

Souichi's heart started beating a bit faster.

"Morinaga. I'm coming in."

Souichi really didn't expect one, but there was still no answer. The door opened without a problem-Morinaga still forgot to lock doors sometimes.

There was no one in the bathroom. Souichi couldn't understand it at first. How could Morinaga get out without him hearing anything-the clatter of the bathroom door opening, the squeak of the wheelchair as it passed? He looked a little harder.

The bathroom wasn't big. There was only one place that a person could hide.

Souichi sprinted to the bathtub, suddenly feeling terrified. Something was horribly wrong. he threw the curtain aside. His insides turned to ice.

Blood and water, mixed in the tub. A bob of black hair.

Morinaga wasn't moving.

"_Morinaga!"_

* * *

A/N: Oooh look! A cliffhanger! Aeon luuuurves cliffhangers!

Oooh look! Aeon is hiding now!

Lovelies, sorry about the yaoi scene, it is my very FIRST time writing anything like it. Take a peek at my other stories if you don't believe me. But it was never the focus of this chapter. I think most of you paid more attention to the ending.

* sings Burning Love by Wynonna Judd *

My lovely, darling reviewers:

_**Kayitt**_: Still just the two of them here, but I don't think that the results were all good, ne? Thanks for your review!

_**Myrskyluoto**_: No, his arm didn't hurt during that scene, but in another scene...unfortunately. Thanks for your review!

_**LadyTsuru**_: this is the first time I did something like this-so I went with something similar to the manga. it isn't as explicit as, say, a Finder series yaoi scene. Thanks for the comment about Masaki, it inspired the little tiff about them. even in the manag, I was usually frustrated with Souichi because sometimes he really can't see past his nose. As for Kunihiro's plans...next chapter, though I think you can guess already. Haha. thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: Souichi's culinary skills is a weapon of mass destruction. But don't let him hear me say that, he'll chop my nose off. I hope that this chapter provided...well...really, more excitement than you expected. haha. thanks for your review!

_**souichitatsumi:**_ thanks! the reason why i'm always worried is because I don't really agree with either Souichi or Morinaga all the time. I'm a very different person, and I don't want my biases to show. Seriously, sometimes I feel like throttling Souichi-or at least cutting his hair off. As for Morinaga, I'd like to shove him into counseling for serious self-esteem issues. But I'm enjoying writing them, too. I'm very happy you enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks for your review!

_**Miny**_: And I haven't even gotten to the taste test part. Should I call 911? Morinaga, persevere in teaching him, or you'll get nothing to eat! Thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: you're welcome! I hope you're still smiling at this point. Thanks for your review!

_**Morwen**_: You're welcome: First time writing something like this, so it might not be as explicit as some might like, Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33:**_ Next chapter, I promise. I hope you'll forgive me again for not revealing Kunihiro's plans, but I was rather distracted by Morinaga in the bathtub. Haha. Thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: Well, as long as you don't use all the letters of the alphabet your name is good enough for me. Hopefully this makes up for your shower scene! And yes, I always reply to my lovely reviewers. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: Haha, don't know about that-since the yaoi scene really was brief! And I kept it short, because there were a lot of exciting things happening too. Hope that this fulfilled your burning bridges dose of passion and hot-ness! Thanks for your review!

**Reviews put rainbows in the sky! Beeeehooold! Leave a review and see!**


	16. Burning Bridges

A/N: Welcome to the chapter that has the same title as the story! This is the longest chapter I've written so far, and I don't think I'll beat it. It's NINE pages on Word. Honestly, I think if I wrote two more words, it'll become 10 pages. The raw (the story itself, minus the A/N's and reviewer greetings) fills the nine pages from top to bottom.

I don't usually recommend music, but here's a couple of songs that are good to listen to while reading this:

_**Don't Speak by No Doubt**_

_**Torn by Natalie Imbruglia **_**(did I get the spelling right?)**

Yeah, they're old songs, but they're appropriate...trust me.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying I believe in zombies, but if they come, I'll be tripping you.

* * *

Souichi could safely say that he never expected to see Morinaga Kunihiro cry.

He had no idea what happened after he found Morinaga unconscious in the water-he must have gotten him out, got him breathing, but those memories were blocked from his mind. He also must have called an ambulance, because the next thing he knew, he was sitting in a bench outside the emergency room.

By the time the ambulance had arrived, Morinaga was already breathing, but unconscious. He had torn open his stitches in the fall, hence the blood, and had submerged his cast-they had to make him a new one. They had told him repeatedly that Morinaga would be fine, but Souichi couldn't quite believe it until he saw Morinaga awake. He knew that oxygen deprivation could damage a person's brain-what would he do if Morinaga lived on in a vegetative state?

He'd forgotten his glasses. Everything was a blur-or was that because of the tears in his eyes? Souichi would never forgive himself if Morinaga died because of this.

It was his fault, all of it. He should never have left Morinaga alone in the bath Morinaga was so obviously upset. Hell, they were both upset but that was no reason…he had to believe that Morinaga would be okay, or Souichi would fall apart.

But Morinaga was tough, wasn't he? He managed to live through a car crash. Or maybe that was just what Souichi was telling himself so that he-

Suddenly there was a powerful blow launched at the side of his jaw, stronger than any punch that Souichi himself could throw. Souichi was thrown off the bench, landing ungracefully on the other side. There were cries all round him, and he was just getting ready to retaliate when he found himself staring into Morinaga Kunihiro's livid face.

"What are you doing here?" Souichi said, completely astonished. He didn't even feel the pain from where Kunihiro had hit him. Not yet.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Kunihiro replied, his voice deadly. "What is Tetsuhiro doing here? I leave him with you for two weeks and this happens?"

"It's not my fault," Souichi tried to protest. Never mind that he had been thinking just the opposite a few seconds earlier.

"Then whose fault is it?"

For the first time, he noticed tears in Kunihiro's eyes. Dr. Uzuki was standing behind Kunihiro, his expression uncharacteristically grave.

"Did something happen?" Souichi croaked. If the stoic Kunihiro was crying, surely it meant the end of the world.

"Not really. Morinaga-kun is stable. He's in Room 215."

Souichi sighed in relief. "Can I visit him?"

Dr. Uzuki gave him an odd look. "Tatsumi-san, it's nearly midnight. I think you better go home."

Midnight? Really? Souichi checked his wristwatch. Damn it, so it was. How many hours had it been? Long enough so that Kunihiro could arrive from Tokyo. "I want to see him."

"Go home, Souichi, before I punch you again," Kunihiro told him.

Souichi realized that Kunihiro was crying not because he was sad, but because he was angry. _Very _angry. Furthermore, Kunihiro meant every word he said. Kunihiro really would hit him if he tried to visit Morinaga tonight-and this time, Kunihiro might just break his jaw.

How come they never threw _Kunihiro_ out when he threw punches? They threatened to ban him from the hospital for shoeing Genichirou!

He would've argued with Kunihiro and Dr. Uzuki, were it not for the fact that some part of him knew Kunihiro's accusations were true. _All his fault._

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd have the energy to argue his way into Morinaga's room.

* * *

He didn't go back to the apartment. Instead he booked a room at a cheap hotel and fell on the bed, still fully dressed.

* * *

"_Morinaga!" he screamed. "Morinaga!"_

_Morinaga didn't respond. Souichi hauled Morinaga out of the water, still shouting Morinaga's name-as if he expected his kouhai to be able to answer. He laid him down on the cold tiles, feeling frantically for a pulse, or a breath. His actions were hasty. His fingers were trembling. _

_There was blood. Blood was running down the right side of Morinaga's head. It was all that Souichi could focus on, although there was another part of him that insisted that he do CPR on Morinaga. Or at least mouth to mouth resuscitation. Was he still mumbling Morinaga's name?_

_How long had it been since Morinaga was under? How long did Souichi stupidly mope in his room, unaware that Morinaga might be asking for his help? How long did Souichi stand at the bathroom door, making useless, empty threats?_

"_Morinaga, no," Souichi muttered. _

_What was he supposed to do? Should he get the bleeding stopped first? No, he had to make sure that Morinaga was breathing first. _

_Didn't he?_

_Souichi finally found Morinaga's pulse-at the same time that he realized that Morinaga was not breathing. Knowing that he might only have seconds, Souichi cleared Morinaga's airway, tilted his head upward, pinched his nose, and blew a breath into Morinaga's mouth. There was nothing romantic or enjoyable about it-this was Morinaga's life he was fighting for. _

_He blew two breaths. It really did feel like a fight, because Morinaga wasn't responding. He began a series of quick chest compressions- he barely remembered how to position his hands, and he might've done it wrong. Souichi wished that he could somehow order Morinaga to breathe. _

_He blew two breaths again. This time there were tears, and water, mixed on Souichi's lips as he tried to start Morinaga breathing. He was praying that to every god he knew that Morinaga would not make that last journey-that journey to a place he couldn't follow. _

_Suddenly Morinaga's body jerked, and Souichi backed off in response. Morinaga began to cough, eyes still closed, and Souichi managed to gather enough of his wits to tilt Morinaga over to his side, so he could expel the water that was choking him. Souichi rubbed Morinaga's back, asking repeatedly if he was okay, but Morinaga only seemed half conscious. After he finished coughing, he seemed to lose consciousness again. _

_But at least he was breathing. That was something, right? That had to mean something. It meant that he would survive…_

* * *

Souichi opened his eyes. Sunlight was peeking through the windows, signaling the start of a new day. Just fucking peachy. He didn't feel as if he'd gotten any rest.

It seemed that he couldn't escape last night-it haunted him even in his dreams. Souichi simply stared at the ceiling for several long moments, trying to recall what he was supposed to do.

After he revived Morinaga, he called an ambulance. He could barely remember their arrival, because he was breaking apart at that point. They took Morinaga away after dressing him in a hospital gown; Souichi hadn't even really registered Morinaga's nakedness.

The EMTs had stared when they came upon that scene-two men together in the bathroom, one naked and unconscious, one soaking wet and covered in water and blood.

Souich grimaced. Already, he wanted to forget the terror of last night, but it seemed that it would happen again and again in his nightmares. He could only recall one moment in his life when he'd felt that scared- during the fire that had gutted their home, when he'd feared that Morinaga and Kanako were trapped inside the burning house.

Morinaga had promised that he wouldn't be that scared again. Another promise that Morinaga didn't keep.

Souichi had never dreamed of the fire, though, because that first night Morinaga was there to take all of it away. And Souichi didn't dream of the accident because Souichi himself wasn't there. Was that the crucial difference? Souichi had the nightmare because he was there, and he was alone, with no one to soothe him and comfort him. The person he relied on for those things was currently lying on a hospital bed.

Souichi rolled over, suddenly desperate to see Morinaga. If nothing else, his kouhai was due for a scolding.

* * *

Around the same time, at Nagoya General Hospital, Morinaga Tetsuhiro was listening to his brother propose that he come and live with him in Tokyo. He had managed to find an apartment that would suit their purposes-apparently those kinds of apartments were easier to find in Tokyo.

"What?" Morinaga said in disbelief. "What about Senpai?"

Kunihiro sighed, exasperated. "Of course that would be the first thing you'd ask. Tetsu, you know that he couldn't take care of you, right?"

"He's trying," Morinaga argued.

"Not hard enough," Kunihiro countered. "Tetsu, I don't want a phone call saying that you nearly drowned in the bathtub again, or-or that you fell down some stairs."

Morinaga fell silent, sensing only his brother's concern. Kunihiro might have shunned him for a long time but he was trying-just like Senpai.

He'd woken up just half an hour ago, rather disoriented and confused. The last thing he remembered was grabbing the edge of the bathtub with his broken arm.

Senpai must have saved him. Again. Morinaga shuddered, thinking of what Souichi must have been feeling at that time. It would be similar to how Souichi felt in the house fire. He had a garbled impression of someone rubbing his back as he coughed, but it was fleeting-that must have been Senpai.

"Where is he, anyway?" Morinaga wondered. "Is he okay?"

"You're the one that nearly drowned and you're asking if he's fine?" Kunihiro said incredulously.

"I already know I'm fine, Nii-san," Morinaga said patiently.

There was a knock on the door, Morinaga turned, expecting to see Souichi, but the only person standing in the doorway was Dr. Miura.

"Ah, sensei," Kunihiro said, rising from his seat.

Dr. Miura waved for him to sit down. "Good morning. How are you feeling, Morinaga-kun?"

"I'm fine," Morinaga repeated.

"That's good. We were quite surprised to see you last night. We won't be keeping you here long. We'll just run some check-up tests, since you were scheduled to do so anyway."

"All right."

"But you shouldn't have tried to bath alone, Morinaga-kun," Dr. Miura chided gently. "I remember telling you not to-as did Dr. Uzuki and Peter. I know Saitou-san did, too."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Dr. Miura was checking his ears and mouth. "Well, you seem to be all right physically, though that little dip you took didn't help your throat any. I'll tell them to include tea in your breakfast. Or have you eaten?"

Morinaga shook his head, then had to hold his head as dizziness washed through him.

"Careful, Morinaga-kun," the doctor said, steadying him. "You should rest."

"Dr. Miura," Kunihiro said quickly, "I want my brother to come live with me in Tokyo. Will that be a problem?"

The doctor looked surprised. "Problem? Well, Morinaga-kun is a legal adult, so it would be up to him to decide. We can forward his treatments to a hospital there. Ah, but you're part of the music therapy program, aren't you? I think you better speak to Dr. Uzuki about that."

"I see. I'd better go and find him now," Kunihiro mused. Then he turned to Morinaga. "Think about it, Tetsu. Please."

* * *

Dr. Miura and Kunihiro left together, with Dr. Miura saying that he would help Kunihiro find the rabbit doctor. Morinaga was left alone, with his thoughts for company.

The thing was, Kunihiro had a point, but not in the way that he thought. Because really, perhaps it was naïve of Morinaga to think that wanting to stay with Senpai and being able to stay with Senpai was the same thing.

What if he was a burden to Senpai, and Souichi was too nice to say so to his face?

Morinaga winced. It was possible. In fact, it was probably true. He must have really scared Souichi last night.

He remembered promising Senpai that he wouldn't worry him again. Ironically, it now seemed like the only way he could keep his promise was to stay away from Souichi.

* * *

When Souichi came, Morinaga thought he was ready. He had a script in his head, and he knew how to break the news to his Senpai.

But all the things he meant to say flew out of his head when Souichi entered the room at last. His Senpai seemed irritable-well, that was no surprise, but…he seemed to be wearing the same shirt as last night. It even had splotches of watery blood on it. And…was that a _bruise_ on his cheek? How-?

"Senpai! What happened to you?"

Souichi scowled as he threw himself into a seat. "Kunihiro happened. I don't know how the hell he got here from Tokyo in under three hours, but he greeted me with this."

"I'm so sorry, Senpai, that looks really bad." Morinaga had no idea that his older brother could pack a punch-but he must've surprised Souichi. "Have you put an ice pack on it? It's swelling."

At that, something seemed to snap within Souichi.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Souichi screamed. "Why are you worrying about me? It's not me who nearly died last night!"

"But I didn't die," Morinaga said. His voice soft and full of emotion, he continued, "You…saved me."

"What was I supposed to do, let you drown? You were so stupid! Why did you try to take a bath on your own-you should've waited for me!"

"Senpai-I thought we needed some time apart after we argued about Masaki-san. I didn't know that would happen. You know that."

Souichi fell silent, staring at his knees. Finally he muttered, "There was a lot of blood."

Morinaga felt his heart clench in sympathy. His Senpai's confident and prickly front seemed entirely gone, stripped away, leaving in its place a raw vulnerability that Morinaga knew Souichi hated to feel. He held out his arm to Senpai, and Souichi went to his bed-although he didn't touch him.

Morinaga didn't touch Souichi either. If he tried to hug Souichi before he was ready, it would just have the opposite effect.

"I'm sorry," Morinaga whispered. "Thank you."

"Damn right you should be thanking me," growled Souichi, before leaning lightly on Morinaga's uninjured shoulder. "What did the rabbit doctor say?"

Morinaga choked on a laugh. For now he was content to hug Souichi close. "Actually, it was Dr. Miura who visited. He said that he won't keep me here long-just enough for a few tests."

Those words suddenly made Morinaga remember what he wanted to tell Souichi. Damn it. He wanted to be the one to tell him-but now, with his Senpai leaning on his shoulder, all his carefully constructed plans crumbled to dust.

How was he supposed to tell him? Could he be so heartless as to leave Souichi alone, when he had done so much for him? And how was Souichi supposed to carry on by himself?

No, he realized with sudden certainty. Souichi didn't need him any more now. Souichi knew how to cook (after a fashion), how to run to the store, wash clothes…all the things that Morinaga did so happily before. He didn't know why Souichi wanted him around, but one thing was for sure: Souichi would never need Morinaga as much as Morinaga needed him.

And who would want him around? An invalid who could drown himself by accident, in a bathub…a person who could get dizzy just by shaking his head…someone who could barely walk. Kunihiro was right-he shouldn't be a burden to Senpai. It was bad enough that he was moving in with his brother-he'd be disturbing Kunihiro's life, too, though he doubted Kunihiro would've let him go that easily.

"Morinaga? What's the matter? Does something hurt?" Souichi asked, feeling the tenseness in Morinaga's body.

Morinaga felt like he was going to have to fight the words on the way out. "Senpai, I-"

They were interrupted by Morinaga's breakfast. Souichi hung back, only agreeing that Morinaga should drink warm tea because he still sounded like he swallowed a bucket of rocks. After breakfast, he was whisked away to his tests.

He never got around to telling Souichi, and all things considered, he felt relieved.

* * *

Souichi waited in Morinaga's room, giving and receiving a few calls about missing today's teaching seminar. When Kunihiro walked in, Souichi threw him a dirty look. Souichi had managed to get some ice onto his injury but it didn't seem to be working.

"Where's Tetsuhiro?" Kunihiro asked.

"Tests," Souichi said simply.

"Has he told you yet?"

"Told me what?"

"That he's going to come live with me in Tokyo."

Souichi sat up, feeling as if he'd been sucker-punched. "Is that supposed to be a really sick joke?"

Kunihiro only looked at him. "Masaki and I managed to find an apartment that can accommodate him."

Masaki _again?_ "Oh, and I suppose you'll all live together now!"

"I've tried to ask Junya," Kunihiro said calmly, "But he said no. He did agree to come in during the day and help with whatever Tetsuhiro would need. I work during the day and Jun during the night, so we've already got a good arrangement."

Souichi's eyes narrowed. "Have you been planning this all along?"

Kunihiro answered the question with another. "Tatsumi-san, can you honestly say that this kind of incident wouldn't happen again?"

Souichi opened his mouth to say that yes, of course, it wouldn't happen again, but he stopped. _Could _he guarantee it? They fought over something as simple as Masaki.

Souichi knew his faults: he was petty and irritable. He blew up at the slightest things. Would those faults lead to another accident?

-_blood and water. A body unmoving in the bathtub.-_

No. No, he couldn't give a guarantee.

"And besides," Kunihiro continued, "Tetsuhiro already agreed."

_What?! The traitor. He just wanted to live with Masaki!_

And Souichi had been so sure…when Morinaga let Souichi lean his head on his shoulders earlier-he was so sure that the fight was over. Souichi realized that Morinaga must've known about Kunihiro's proposal then-was he only embracing him out of guilt? Pity?

All his previous uncertainties vanished. Now, he was sure that Morinaga wanted to get away from him. And who could blame him? Under Souichi's care, he had to teach him how to cook, how to clean, how to pick produce at the grocery store. Morinaga was still taking care of him, and he nearly drowned.

Why didn't Morinaga tell him earlier? Hell, that might've been the reason Masaki was calling him last night! He wanted to…to get all cuddly with that damn Masaki!

"You know what?" Souichi said, angrily. "Maybe that's for the best."

* * *

When Morinaga went back, he found Souichi and Kunihiro in the room. Souichi immediately gave him a glare.

Oh. "Nii-san, did you-?"

"Yes." Kunihiro answered simply.

No wonder Souichi looked angry. "Senpai-I-"

"You know what? Fine. Do whatever you want. I always knew you wanted to see that damn Masaki again."

Morinaga's face crumpled. This wasn't the way that he wanted to tell him at all. "Senpai-"

"And besides," Souichi added, not meeting Morinaga's eyes, "You'll be better off there."

Morinaga's mouth dropped open. Did Senpai just…

Yes. Yes he did.

Senpai wasn't going to fight for him to stay. After everything, Souichi…finally had enough. Morinaga didn't blame him. After all, it was just about what he expected. It was too tedious to take care of him when he was dependent on someone.

But he thought, just this one time…he could stay. He had left his family, been left behind by Masaki. When Souichi defended him or told him-in so many words-that he cared about him, Morinaga had been so happy he could burst. It made the accident bearable; it anchored him to cheerfulness whenever he thought he would be consumed by his anger at the accident and its far-reaching consequences.

He didn't think that it would come to this, in the end. But then again, if he had to pick a reason for them to break up, this was the one that would probably hurt the least. At least there was a reason. At least Souichi wasn't going to kick him out because Souichi loved someone else.

It shouldn't hurt. It shouldn't hurt, any more than the things that had happened to him in the past. Still, he felt like his heart splintered apart.

"I understand," Morinaga said numbly.

* * *

Things moved surprisingly fast then-because Souichi didn't fight the move anymore. Kunihiro was in Nagoya for three more days, staying in their apartment, packing Morinaga's things. They sent the heavier stuff ahead.

Souichi barely spoke to Morinaga. If anything, it only helped convince Kunihiro that it wasn't right that Tetsuhiro keep on living with Souichi. But Souichi did agree to come with them to the bullet train to Tokyo.

Kunihiro had anticipated a reaction of some sort-but not this. He expected Souichi's temper. But Souichi didn't get angry-he wasn't even in the apartment most of the time. When Souichi _was_ at the apartment, it was silent as a tomb.

During those three days, the tension in the apartment was so thick that a chainsaw would've had difficulty cutting through it. His little brother never smiled anymore.

Morinaga didn't try to talk with Souichi either. He was like a ghost on those last few days they had together.

They were again silent on the day of their departure. By this time Souichi's anger had mostly dissipated. Still, he didn't know how to reverse anything he started-it just…snowballed, until it came to this. To this. He was burning bridges, and there was no way to return, or to move forward.

If he wanted the best for Morinaga, he had to let him go, right?

Morinaga kissed him goodbye. Not on the lips, only on his cheek, but Morinaga stood up to do it. Then he simply embraced him for some time-and Souichi let him, wishing more than ever that he could hug back-but no, that would only make the whole thing more difficult. No words were exchanged-Morinaga didn't seem to expect anything. His eyes were dull, had been dull since his release from the hospital, three days ago.

"Bye, Senpai," Morinaga mumbled. He let go.

If Souichi expected Morinaga to cry, Souichi was disappointed. "Morinaga-"

What would he say? What could he say?

But Morinaga was already in his wheelchair, and he and his brother were turning away. Finally they reached the train. The doors opened and closed.

Souichi stood staring at the tracks long after they had left. He had done the right thing, but-

He felt empty.

* * *

A/N: Lovelies, I'm so happy right now. this was the basis of burning bridges-the initial idea i had. I thought, "If it's not through either of their ersonality flaws, what would be the most likely cause of a break-up? No AU." The story was the result.

I'm sorry about making Kunihiro like that, but in the manga, he was pretty outspoken about his disgust with Masaki and Morinaga, or at least I'm assuming so-or they wouldn't have been affected that way. I'm also assuming that it was Kunihiro who told their parents about Morinaga's relationship with Masaki, since, logically, there was no one else to tell them but him.

Kunihiro has been supportive before, and I think he's still not quite an antagonist in this one, because his actions only had Morinaga's best interests at heart. Don't hate him too much, ne?

But yes, this was his "sneaky plan", and he got Masaki to join him too. Was it predictable? I think it was...haha.

Oh, and on the resuscitation scene...I apologize for those who wanted a more romantic version, but I think it's better if I portrayed a scene that's more realistic. Imagine your lover drowned in the bathtub and not breathing-I can bet that kissing would be the last thing on your mind. But there's still fluff here, ne?

Last song to listen to?

**_I love you, Goodbye by Nina_**

I wanted to put it on top but it'd be too obvious. XD

I've till got a couple of chapters planned, but after that... I'm still uncertain. The ending is still very vague to me. I think I should be alarmed at this point because I usually know how it ends by this time.

Am I leaving a cliffhanger? I don't know, I'm too dazed with happiness that I finally released this chapter...I'm sorry I didn't let it out sooner but I wanted it to be perfect. I'm still not sure it is...

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. I'm sure that the koala bears are happy.**

_**Maria Krause**_: If the sun from your country and the rain clouds in my country could meet, we can make a rainbow and meet halfway. That'd be a pretty amazing rainbow considering our distance...I'd bring umbrellas, and we'll talk of placing our most despised writers under the guillotine and letting them be pecked by murderous roosters. XD Thanks for your review!

_**Myrskyluoto**_: But...but...i love torturing my readers...they make it sooo much fun...I think you're still screaming by now? Uhm...thanks for your review!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: The plans are revealed! And Kunihiro has gotten away with a little more than the average package...I didn't focus too much on the sex scene because I was afraid of butchering it, and anyway this story is more about the events than the sex. Maybe in later fics? Hmmm, but I don't know if I'll be writing anything much after this...Thanks for your review!

_**Lizlin**_: I hope that you get better soon! I'm not sure where you can read it next, but don't be too upset with the cliffie. I'll be waiting to hear from you again to tell me how your operation went, and also your opinion in the chapter. thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: I don't know if I'll write another sex scene because Morinaga's already in Tokyo...hmmm...but since this is my first time writing anything like that, I didn't become too explicit. I don't even know the ages of my readers, I might scare them! Haha. thanks for your review!

_**souichitatsumi**_: oh no, am i making you lose sleep again? I guess I am. This is the last "conflict"-all the others,like the coma, the amnesia, and the parents, they're all there to show that Souichi does want Morinaga, except for this little snag. I'm also thinking that I'm not sure who you'll be scared for in this chapter- Morinaga, Souichi, Kunihiro or Masaki? I'm don't know who got the worst end of the stick. I haven't had any dreams of tyrant yet, but the pirate one seems like a good AU! Why don't you write it? Or somehow combine the two...XD thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: Well, fantasy no more because here it is! I think I left you with another cliffie, though...thanks for your review!

_**kayitt:**_ can you still hit souichi after this? Poor dear. but I'd rather you torture him than hunt me down with rusty nail-clippers for what I left you in this chapter. haha. thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: Well, everything's okay and everything's not okay...they're both alive, but not together...I think you got your wish in a left-handed way? Yes? thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_:Yes, it did, didn't it? I don't know if the words "snap out of it" exists in Souichi's dictionary, he's stubborn to a fault...that includes believing that he's right every time. Thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: They did go to the hospital...and Morinaga went to to a place much further than that. Uh,well, that's something, ne? But I get this feeling I'm only freaking you out more...erm...thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: Souichi's insecure with Masaki because Morinaga and Masaki are...closer, than Souichi and Morinaga. I mean, come to think of it, masaki knows more about Morinaga than Souichi does, right? And Souichi's not exactly the type you can confide in, so naturally Morinaga looks for someone else...really, Souichi, those ears are placed by your head for a reason, so use 'em...and about the mouth-to-mouth...uhm, i think I managed to make it as unromantic as possible. Oh boy. But realistic, hopefully. The rainbows will bring you gummy bears! thanks for your review!

i_**nuyasha lover33:**_ I nearly laughed when I read this-your review is short, but you managed to predict exactly what happened! Now I'm wondering if the story is getting boring. Hope I don't distract you too much from exams! Thanks for your review!

**Now, lovely reader, raise your right hand. Wave it, and repeat after me: "Good-bye, Morinaga! Have a safe stay in Tokyo!"**

**Then put down your right hand, and clicky review button. It will magically make aeon reply.**


	17. Disappointing Dialogue

A/N: Someone shut me up when i say I don't think I can top my longest chapters. This one's longer. I hope that make up for the fact that it's a little late!

Disclaimer: I'm not being paid for this, so I will take my toll by leaving you aaaaallll with cliffies. MUAHAHAHAHA * falls off chair *

Oh, and if my French is a bit wrong, please feel free to correct me. Where's the French? Read on, lovely reader.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Hiroto had been trying to contact Angel-kun for the past week, but he wasn't responding. Not to a call, an email, or a text. He was getting very worried-Angel never failed to respond to Hiroto. He sincerely hoped that it was nothing more than Angel losing his phone somehow. But there was always that uncertainty.

These thoughts quickened his pace as he finally arrived at their apartment. He knocked twice, expecting an immediate answer-Angel never went anywhere these days it seemed, he was stuck in this apartment that might as well have been an ivory tower. Hiroto bought a few movies-nothing new, but just things that he didn't think Angel had seen be-

Then the door opened.

"Ah, Angel-kun, thank goodness. I was starting to think you…" Hiroto trailed off. The person in front of him was not Angel-kun. It looked a lot like Souichi, if Souichi ever became a zombie. His skin was gray, there were bags under his eyes, and he stank of cigarette smoke.

"Oops, sorry, wrong apartment." That was the only logical conclusion. HIroto turned away, but the zombie spoke.

"You're here for him, aren't you?"

"Souichi?"

The blond man didn't even seem to hear Hiroto. "Well. He's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" To the hospital for a check-up? But why would Souichi not go with Angel? Did they have a fight again?

"To Tokyo, with his brother."

And still Hiroto did not understand. "Do you mean for a vacation?"

"No," Souichi said coldly. "Forever."

HIroto's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

Souichi, his face still expressionless, started to shut the door. Hiroto put out a hand to stop it. "Wait, what do you mean?" And why had no one ever told him? "Since when?"

"Since last week." This time, Souichi succeeding in shutting the door in Hiroto's face.

Hiroto stood there stunned, hoping that Souichi finally grew a sense of humor and was telling a joke. But he didn't look as if he were-in fact, Souichi looked exactly like he would if Morinaga really did leave.

But…Angel couldn't have left Souichi voluntarily. Hiroto had spent far too long listening to Morinaga moan about Souichi to believe that Morinaga would give him up. And if there was one thing that Hiroto learned in the course of this accident, it was that Souichi was capable of standing up for Angel.

What the hell had happened in the space of a week? Hiroto tried calling Morinaga again, but all he got was a busy signal (which didn't make sense, because Tokyo was still in Japan, damn it.)

It didn't seem that Souichi was in a talkative mood. Morinaga wasn't replying to him. How could he find out what happened?

* * *

Hiroto waited in the hospital cafeteria, staring at his cup of coffee as if he could absorb it through his gaze. Peter had agreed to meet him, if only to tell him what happened.

To be honest, Hiroto didn't want to meet Peter. If there had been anyone else that he could ask, he would've. But all anyone would tell him was that Kunihiro came and took Morinaga away, and that Morinaga did agree to come to Tokyo. Obviously there was more to it than that, but no one at the hospital would break the rules for him. No one except for Peter, and he didn't have Peter's phone number.

"Hey," a quiet voice said, and Hiroto looked up to find Peter just behind him. The redhead had a tray of lunch in his hands

Hiroto simply nodded. He'd hard to work hard to remain casual-Peter wasn't having any difficulty. He waited until Peter had sat down.

"So you wanted to know what happened to Morinaga-kun?" Direct and straight to the point.

HIroto was relieved that Peter knew that Hiroto wasn't there for him. "Yes."

"Haven't they told you anything?"

"Angel-kun's not answering my calls or messages, and Souichi just looks…like a zombie."

Peter smiled slightly. "Angel, huh? Well, I wasn't here a week ago, so I only know what Dad and Dr. Uzuki told me. Apparently they brought Morinaga-kun here last Tuesday because he nearly drowned in the bathtub. His older brother came and took him away from Tatsumi-san-something about not being able to guarantee that it won't happen again."

"Is he okay?" Hiroto asked, alarmed.

"Morinaga-kun's fine. Tatsumi-san brought him in. I imagine Tatsumi-san's traumatized by the whole thing. Kunihiro-san made a rather strong appeal for Morinaga-kun to move in with him. I think there's another friend of theirs in Tokyo that will help them out."

Hiroto fell silent, the pieces now coming together. It made sense, all of it-including the aftermath of Angel's departure. Both Angel and Souichi would've been too distracted to call him. "Do you have their new address?"

"Are you going to Tokyo?" Peter asked, surprised. "You know we're not an apartment complex. We don't have a forwarding address."

Hiroto blushed, realizing his stupidity, and Peter laughed at him. "Sorry, I can't betray client confidentiality. You'll just have to wait until Morinaga-kun calls you."

"Thanks for everything," Hiroto muttered, standing to go. That laugh brought too many memories. Too many emotions. This was why he had not wanted to contact Peter.

"Wait, Yama," Peter said, grabbing his elbow. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh."

"It's fine."

"You're not fine. We haven't talked for ten years but I can still see that."

Hiroto wrenched his elbow away from Peter's grasp. "You think you still know anything about me?"

"Stop it, Yama." Peter sounded weary. "Just…stop it. We're not in high school anymore. This doesn't make sense."

Hiroto was still.

"You've stopped playing, haven't you? The violin."

"The past isn't important anymore."

"Isn't it? In the past you would not have gone after a friend. In the past you-"

"Peter!"

"_Ma musique est seul sans toi_," breathed Peter. "But it hurts you more."

"Just leave me alone," he hissed. "If you want others not to understand what you're saying, I'll tell you this: _Je…Je regrette que je …t'ai recontre_." And with that Hiroto fled, not caring about the pained expression in Peter's face.

* * *

Morinaga did receive Hiroto's calls, but always refused to answer them. He received calls and emails from Kanako, Kurokawa, Tomoe and Isogai, as well, but like Hiroto's, he ignored them. He didn't think that he could stand to tell them that he had left Souichi, had been left by him. He simply didn't have the energy.

Kunihiro didn't know what to do. Now that they were not connected to Nagoya General Hospital there was no need to continue the music therapy-and it was taking its toll. Oh, Tetsuhiro still improved, but not as fast as before.

Worse still, he did not want to talk about Souichi. He seemed all right on the outside-but even Kunihiro could see that he was trying a bit too hard. Trying to be cheerful, or to make them see that they didn't need to worry about him. So far it was having exactly the opposite effect.

Kunihiro and Masaki spent much time talking about Tetuhiro-funny, but they were brought together because of his little brother. Masaki would never have approached Kunihiro on his own. But now Masaki did.

Kunihiro was uncertain, because he had been wondering if he was too hasty in bringing Tetsu to Tokyo.

"Not really," Masaki said, on the evening of the fifth day. "I think he knows that you only wanted the best for him."

"But…"

"If he was my brother, I would've done the same," Masaki assured him.

Kunihiro sighed. "I suppose I was stupid to think that he would get over it quickly."

Masaki gave him an odd look. "Do you know that he's been in love with Souichi for more than five years?"

"What? No. No. So…so that explains it. What should we do?"

He sounded like a worried mother hen. "I'm not sure if we can make Tetsu do anything he doesn't want to," Masaki said with a dry smile. "And I don't think _we_ should _do_ anything either. Unless we can try to distract him?"

"How?"

* * *

A few days later, Masaki found out a way to bring a part of Tetsuhiro back.

"Tetsuhiro," Masaki said, "We're going out."

"No, that's fine, Masaki-san. I'll stay here."

Masaki sighed. "Listen, we didn't bring you here to imprison you."

"I know that. I just don't feel like going out."

"It's just to the library. They have a great collection of books here."

For the first time in days, Tetsuhiro smiled-only faintly, it was true, but Masaki was relieved to see it. "I don't have a card."

"That's fine. We can get you one." Masaki wheeled him out the door, grateful that Tetsuhiro still loved books. At least he didn't say that he didn't want to go.

At the library, Masaki let him loose, telling Tetsuhiro to pick a book while he got a card for him. Tetsuhiro was getting more adept at maneuvering himself around, and Masaki knew that Tetsuhiro valued his independence. It was only five minutes later that he found Tetsuhiro in the sciences section, reading a book on physiology.

"Are you aiming to be a doctor next, Tetsu?" Masaki asked lightly. But he was wondering how much of Tetsuhiro's new curiosity was because of his condition.

"That might be good," Tetsuhiro said. "You don't need to be able to walk to be a doctor, right?"

"I think it wouldn't be required, but it's helpful," mused Masaki. "Do you want to look at more books? We can take the elevator."

"Sure."

They spent the day in the library, then ate out for lunch. Tetsuhiro's eyes were still filled with pain, but at least he was talking a lot more than he had in days-about his work, about his studies…about anything but Souichi. He'd even talked a little about his accident, telling Masaki that he was now left-handed because his right had been inactive for so long.

"But there's a lot of things you can still do," Masaki observed.

"Yes. I think I may be able to walk with just a cane one say, anyway the therapist at the hospital says so. It was just too bad that the music therapy stopped."

"We can continue it, if you want to."

"But…"

"Tetsu, Kunihiro told me about it. You seemed to really enjoy it…of course it won't be the same, but if it helps, it's good, isn't it?"

Tetsuhiro thought about that, of music weaving though the lonely days. It would remind him of Senpai-how Senpai used to get so impatient with his physical therapy, how Tetsuhiro would laugh and suggest they try and guess the titles and composers of the music played. How Souichi, ever competitive, would research the music behind his back, so he would win. He'd let that one go, not understanding why Souichi needed to win so badly.

Music reminded him of Senpai now. Music and cigarettes.

But…he had to try and move on. Leaving Senpai hurt, but…he was just now realizing that maybe, this was the way things were supposed to go. He didn't hate Senpai, and he was pretty sure that Senpai didn't hate him, either. Maybe they were both just disappointed in the results of the accident.

But whatever it was, it wasn't fair to ask someone to care for him. Souichi had better things to do.

"We can give it a shot," Tetsuhiro finally agreed.

* * *

Souichi was trying as well, though the hollowness that had set in when Morinaga left had not gone away. He couldn't stand looking at the empty apartment-too many memories of Morinaga there-so he spent most of his time in outside. He didn't care where, just out, where he could be alone with his thoughts. When he wasn't at work, eating, or sleeping, he was there.

He didn't take calls anymore because his battery went dead and he couldn't find his charger-oh, he and Morinaga had the same phone charger and he must've brought it with him. Souichi tried to remember to buy a new one, but…

But there was a part of his heart that expected Morinaga to still be there when he opened the apartment door.

It was a good thing that he did a rather large amount of grocery shopping before Morinaga left-he was running low on supplies but felt too lethargic to re-stock his shelves. He barely ate these days anyway.

He didn't want to think of Morinaga, it just hurt. Why hadn't Morinaga contacted him? Okay, so it was Souichi who told him he'd be better off with Kunihiro, but must it really end like this? Can't Morinaga call to say that he was okay?

Because he was worried, damn it. If…if Morinaga was really better off with Kunihiro and…and Masaki, then he should at least let him know. It would convince Souichi that his decision had been right.

One day-when he wasn't at work and was on his bed staring at the ceiling-he had a visitor. An insistent visitor, by the sound of it. Because the knocking was getting too loud.

All right, now that was getting annoying. First it had been that bartender friend of Morinaga, then this?

Souichi rose from the bed, groaning at the effort it took. He hoped it was just the delivery guy, so he could tell them to shove off.

But it wasn't. It was Kanako, back from her school, looking at him with horror and pity.

Souichi could only stare back. Did Kanako say that she was going to visit?

"Nii-san," Kanako whispered. "What…what happened to you?"

"I'm fine," he said automatically.

"No, you're not. What happened? Where's Tet-chan?" Kanako tried to peer beyond Souichi, into the room. "Where's Tet-chan?"

"He's in Tokyo, with his brother. What are you doing here?"

"I told you I was going to come! Don't you remember? I haven't been able to contact you this past week, and Isogai –san told me he couldn't, either. What do you mean he's in Tokyo?"

Souichi stepped back, letting Kanako in. There seemed to be no other way. Kanako entered the apartment quickly, and he could see her taking in the scene.

"Where are Tet-chan's things? Why isn't he-"

"Kanako, shut up and listen. I'm only going to say this once more. He's in Tokyo, with his brother."

"But…Oh!" Kanako's eyes grew round, then filled with tears. "Oh, Nii-san…Why?"

"Because I can't take care of him." Souichi said simply. The longer explanation would take hours.

"And he agreed? Tet-chan agreed?"

"Yes."

At that Kanako's tears finally fell, and she dropped her bags to hug her brother. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I…" Souichi began. It was sort of nice, this intimacy. And it seemed like Kanako was crying the tears he couldn't. "It was for the best."

"How? You loved each other!"

In another time Souichi might've protested, but not now. "Kanako, he nearly drowned in the bathtub because I took my eyes off him for a second. I can't…I can't risk that happening again."

"Is Tet-chan all right?" Kanako asked at once.

"I don't know. I haven't got a chance to talk to him before they left."

Kanako buried her face into Souichi's shirt. He patted her head uncertainly, taken aback by…her sudden arrival, by the onslaught of emotions.

She suddenly lifted her head. "Then you have to get him back, right?"

"What?"

"You have to go and get him back!"

"But, Kanako…"

"You need each other! I'm sure Tet-chan misses you too. Get him back!"

"How?"

"You go to Tokyo and tell him you'll take him back, of course."

Souichi just stared. "I'll what?"

"Nii-san…I'm sure it won't happen again. You'll do better. But you need each other. And you have to stop being so hesitant all the time. You've fought for him all along-why should this be different?"

Kanako stared at him expectantly as Souichi processed the information. He was just now realizing that…that Kanako was right. He needed to go after Morinaga. He had to take him back, beg if he had to. Souichi had always said that Morinaga could stay by his side.

In those last few days they had together, Morinaga looked as if he was slowly dying. Souichi, too preoccupied with his own pain, had not realized it then.

But Souichi had broken his word, hadn't he? It was Souichi who turned his back on Morinaga, not the other way around.

"I don't know the address in Tokyo." Souichi told Kanako.

Kanako snorted. "I'll get it for you. You go and take a shower. You look like a hobo."

He was unceremoniously pushed into the bathroom and tossed a towel. As he began to strip, he was thinking that Kanako would've made a great military general.

* * *

Masaki had taken to coming to their apartment more often. He was going to quit bartending and try to work at a café (one of the bar's sister companies), so he was trying out his cooking skills on Kunihiro and Tetsu.

"What do you think?" Masaki said anxiously, as they sat down for lunch. It was one of those rare days that Kunihiro and Masaki were both there to keep Tetsu company.

"It's good," Kunihiro said.

"A bit salty," Tetsu responded.

"It's fine for me," Kunihiro objected.

"You always say my cooking's fine," Masaki retorted. "I think I'll believe Tetsu this time."

"Oh, it's fine, Masaki-san, I just-"

The apartment doorbell interrupted him mid-sentence. They turned to the door, then to each other, perplexed.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Masaki asked Kunihiro.

"No, but I'll get it." He waved Tetsu down, (Tetsuhiro could lately walk around the apartment with little difficulty) and went to the door.

"Must be a package," Tetsu mused. "Anyway, I don't really have a problem with this, but you don't need to put salt in the batter-"

"It's not undercooked though?"

"If you had a café, Masaki-san, I'd eat in it," Tetsuhiro promised, grinning.

Masaki smiled. "that might be a long way off."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Just as they were wondering what was taking Kunihiro so long, he came back.

Tetsu wasn't even looking up. "Good, the food was-"

"Tetsuhiro," Kunihiro cut him off, "Souichi is here to see you."

At those words, Tetsuhiro froze. He looked up, and sure enough, Souichi was there.

"Senpai," he whispered, feeling as if he'd just received a huge electric shock. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

Seeing Souichi again, after nearly two weeks, was having its effects. Morinaga could not believe it. Refused to believe it. It was a dream, had to be. Because there was no way…

"I came for you, of course," Souichi said, sounding like he had just come from next door and not from Nagoya. "To take you back."

_He came for him._

For a few second Morinaga could only stare at Souichi. That did it, he really was dreaming. Although the dream was extremely realistic, because Souichi looked the same as always-irritable, and annoyed that Morinaga was still looking at him with his mouth open.

"Well?" Souichi said impatiently.

Senpai…wanted him? Senpai still wanted him?

Even after…Senpai came for him. Fireworks were beginning to go off in Morinaga's head.

Morinaga stood, stumbled forward. Was it possible to be this happy? Was it?

"Senpai," he murmured, before breaking down completely. He hugged Souichi."I missed you so much."

"Moron, it's nothing to cry about," Souichi said. His face was beet red-embarrassed, Morinaga noted. But he hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow this," Kunihiro said coldly.

"Why not?" Souichi snapped at once. "I didn't come here to be deterred by you."

Morinaga's heart soared. Souichi was really standing up for him.

Kunihiro wasn't impressed. "I think he's better off with us. Or haven't you realized that in the two weeks that he's here, he can already walk around?"

"Nii-san…" Morinaga whispered.

Souichi pulled back, clearly not noticing it. "I want him to stay with me."

"Why?" Masaki inquired. It wasn't said out of malice. Masaki was honestly just curious.

"The accident…it won't happen again."

"I know it won't-" Morinaga began.

"And you have a job to go back to," Kunihiro said. "Who will take care of him, when you're gone? You might want to, but can you? Are you going to lock him in your apartment again?"

Souichi frowned. "I…"

Morinaga gazed at Senpai, his happiness slowly dissipating.

Kunihiro was bursting his bubble of happiness, but he was right. And he was sure that, if something did happen to him, Souichi would blame himself. Would get blamed by everyone.

He knew the pain of taking the blame, when you only wanted the best for the person that he loved. Wasn't that what happened with Masaki? It wans't fair to place that kind of responsibility on Souichi, no matter how willing he might be.

No. There was only one thing to do. One right way.

Even if it came at that price...a sacrifice. Morinaga would take it, because Souichi should not bear that. Never.

Senpai was still arguing with Kunihiro. "He can take care of himself," Souichi growled, "And he's better. There's no need for him to stay in that apartment."

"No," Kunihiro repeated. "He needs to get out and walk around. Here, he can do that. I hear you're teaching now? How will you assist him?"

"I can find an apartment," Souichi retorted.

"Senpai," Morinaga broke in, "I'm sorry. I'm happy that you came, but I'm…I'll just be a burden to you. I'm sorry."

* * *

Souichi gasped. Morinaga…wasn't coming with him?

"If I really thought that, I would've told you," Souichi told Morinaga.

But Morinaga was giving him a sad smile. "I don't think you understand, Senpai…I still need my wheelchair when I go out. I'm deaf in one ear. I have a broken arm-"

"I know all that!" Souichi yelled. Great, now he was yelling, and he had told himself that he would handle it like a rational adult. "I know. But I told you that you can stay by my side."

"Is that the only reason?" Morinaga probed. There was something in his eyes that warned Souichi to be careful of his answer.

"It will not change," Souichi answered.

Morinaga gazed at him. Then he shook his head, and Souichi saw that he had just failed some test.

"Thank you, Senpai. So much. Now I know you don't hate me-"

"I never did-" Souichi said, finding it hard to breathe.

"-But I can't go back with you."

"Morinaga-"

"No."

Now it was Morinaga who was refusing him! How could this have happened? How? He'd gone after Morinaga in the past, and he had always come with him!

"Go home, Senpai, go home. I want you to live your life without…without me."

That was the last straw. Souichi had never heard such a gentle refusal. Morinaga didn't understand, but he didn't have the words to tell him, to make him understand.

"Go, Souichi."

It was the first time Morinaga had ever called him by name. Souichi gave him one last, searching look, but Morinaga's eyes were devoid of any emotion.

What test was it that he failed?

Would he…never get Morinaga back?

Wordlessly, Souichi turned and practically sprinted for the door. He needed to get out. Get out of here. He had to. If he didn't, he would simply break down, and he didn't want to do it in there.

For he could see that Morinaga's heart was already closed. Worse still, he could see that it had been Souichi himself who had closed it.

* * *

"Was that okay?" Masaki asked Tetsuhiro, concerned.

"It was the only solution," Tetsuhiro replied, softly.

* * *

Souichi took the train back. He found himself wishing that the journey would never end, that he could simply lose himself in the travel, in the tracks.

He never could've anticipated that Morinaga wouldn't go with him. Why? Why didn't he? Was it because he believed he couldn't? But didn't Souichi say that he would make it better, be better? If he needed to be more careful with Morinaga…

Souichi put his head in his hands. He wanted, so badly, to take Morinaga back. What could he do?

There was a soft crackle of paper when he moved. Curious, Souichi reached for his shirt pocket.

An address. But…from who?

Suddenly it hit him-

_"Here's my address. I think you'll need it."_

Peter! It was Peter's address.

Peter-he would know how to care for Morinaga. Was this what he meant when he said he thought he would be needing his address? Souichi didn't know, but felt thankful that he had it. The stork could help him. He wouldn't even judge him for having Morinaga as a lover-didn't he have Hiroto, in the past?

Souichi was abruptly anxious for the train ride to end.

* * *

Three hours later, Souichi was standing in front of a house-Peter's house, he presumed. It was surprisingly large, but Souichi supposed that Peter was using it as a clinic, too.

He rang the bell.

After a few moments, the door opened, but it wasn't Peter who faced him. A boy of about five or six years old stood there, clinging to the doorknob.

"Yeah? Who are you?" the boy asked suspiciously.

Was he one of Peter's patients? The boy was too young to run around unsupervised-all big blue eyes and tousled dark brown hair. A foreigner?

"Who's there, Yuki?" A voice called from within the house.

They both looked up. Peter himself was coming to the door-and he had a red-haired little girl on each arm. Twins.

"I don't know, Dad," the boy said quickly. "Is he one of your patients?"

_Dad?_ Peter was married? With _a kid? _No, come to think of it, those twins look like Peter too.

From the amused look on Peter's face, the stork was reading his mind. "Yuki," Peter said gently, "Will you take your sisters to go and play? I need to talk to him."

"What? I need to baby-sit again?" the boy complained.

_Sisters. Children. Married._ Souichi was still stunned. But…Hiroto? What about him?

"You can watch a movie," Peter offered.

At that, all three children went back to the house, arguing about which movie to watch. Souichi stared after them.

"You're married."

"Some people with children are. Come on in, Tatsumi-san. We can talk in the kitchen."

With a last, enigmatic smile, Peter waved him in. Souichi followed, feeling slightly dizzy.

It seemed that there was more, much more to the reason why Peter gave him his home address.

* * *

A/N: So the reason why this was so long is that I don't want to stop with Souichi coming to Tokyo. It would mean another cliffhanger, and i think/feel that most of you predicted that Souichi would go to Tokyo, anyway. I wanted to leave you with something a bit more. I told you I hate being predictable. XD

I apologize for bouncing around Morinaga's name. I have to call him Tetsuhiro around Masaki and Kunihiro, Morinaga around Souichi and Kanako, and Angel with Hiroto.

Peter's story coming up next!

Did I always mean for Peter to be married? Yes. He was created with that in mind. And yes, he has a wife. She's alive.

Thanks for not hating Kunihiro! I mean, most of those that reviewed didn't. I'm really glad. Still not hate him? Please.

I also hope you understand the reason why Morinaga didn't come with him. I won't be explicit about it, but I think you lovely readers can understand. yeah? It's not that easy. Not in real life, and i'm trying to be realistic.

I want to make you guess Peter's story, but you lovely readers are so good at guessing, one of you might actually get it right. haha.

I have new reviewers! Join the ranks of those lovely, lovely readers who clicky!

_**Lady Tsuru27**_: Why do I get the feeling that your next review would tell me that I left you with another cliffie? haha. and yes, I am a sneaky devil, keeps 'em on their toes, ya know. hopefully I can release the next chapter faster (i like writing an OC's story). Thanks for your review!

_**Lizlin**_: Glad you found a computer! I hope you found this chapter spectacular. Get well soon! Thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: You share the same opinion as Kanako, huh? But the results weren't all that great...I wonder how Kanako would take it...thanks for your review!

_**Kayitt**_: Poor Souichi, run from Kayitt! I think Souichi was still...stunned by Morinaga going away from him, so his brains are slow to work...maybe? He got a bit of his fight back here, though-just a bit. Thanks for your review!

_**Kaddychan**_: Hello, new reviewer! I'm glad you read this from the start. I hope I didn't drive you bald with this chapter, haha. I'm sorry about the break up-I can't seem to put them back together, because it would seem too abrupt! I think they did resolve some things in here, though. thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: you sure? * evil laugh * that sort of thing just makes me not want them to be together! hahaha! Well, I hope I soothed a bit of their feelings in this chapter, still not together, though. thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: I know, right? Kuni-kuni has a point, though I think he was more of a devil's advocate in this chapter. Believe me when I say that if I were Kunihiro, I would've separated them too. Maybe without the punch though (yes, i'm nice that way. i only torture my readers.) Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: Still not together! the course of love never did run smooth...I think that this hardship is bigger than the others! Thanks for your review!

_**Myrskyluoto**_: I think it was exactly what Tetsu needed. he's an active sort of person, you know,and Souichi is too scared that he'll get hurt to let him go out. He did okay in Tokyo, in the end. Thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: I hope this chapter didn't make you cry! But it is sad...that Mori didn't go with him. Thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: Are you on a sugar high? Just kidding-I'm so glad you're enthusiastic. This chapter covers a lot of points (that's why it's so long) and as for senses, I think Kanako got all the common sense in the family (Tomoe's still a bit too naive...). Tell me when you do make that comic, I'd want to read it! Thanks for your review!

_**FanFicStalker**_: Keep the fangirl in the closet, because I still have cliffhangers...I don't want to be dipped in boiling oil. I'm happy you like my story (I wish I could say little story, but i doubt i can call it that). There's a few more chapters to go. Hope you stay until the end. thanks for your review!

_**Caitlyn552**_: No, I hate being predicta-babble! I never would've posted if it were. Still addictive? Thanks for your review!

_**Britany**_: I still don't think this is the best...wait for the end to tell me so! Too early yet. Here's the next chapter, and thanks for your review!

**Thanks for all those who favorited and followed, too!**

**Reviewers will get pink storks from Santa. Clicky that button, lovely reader! **


	18. Stork Story

A/N: A few of you attempted to guess Peter and Hiroto's story. Hmmm, I guess I still have a few tricks up my sleeve because none of those who guessed got it right. But...why did you think Peter's that evil? WHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

I'm just kidding, of course. I don't mind. I think people have been telling me what they think Peter is like from the time he appeared, and most of you seem to agree that he's not going to do anything that will deliberately hurt Hiroto. Well, does he?

I also realized that I didn't leave a translation for the French that was used in the last chapter. I apologize, my lovelies.

Here's what they said:

_Peter: Ma musique est seul sans toi_: My music is lonely without you

and,

Hiroto: _Je…Je regrette que je …t'ai recontre_: I regret that...I met you.

If that was wrong, someone please tell me.

Also, Peter's story is from the first person point of view. I did this because it's in narration style.

Oh, and Osaka people speak in Kansai-ben, which is different from Peter's Japanese, and is one of the reasons why he used to be teased a lot. I'll try to capture it here, but if I make mistakes, I'm already apologizing ahead of time.

Disclaimer: When snow falls on the Sahara, you'll know that I already own Tyrant.

* * *

Peter led him into a cluttered kitchen, filled with late afternoon sunlight. Souichi could hear the children in the living room.

"You…" Souichi was still bewildered. "You have a wife?"

"She's out of town at the moment-she's an architect, seeing a client. She'll be back tomorrow. Coffee?"

"But…what about that bartender?"

"He is a friend." The stork smiled at him again. "Sit down, Tatsumi-san."

Souichi sat. Peter gave him coffee, even if he hadn't asked for it. "Why are you married?"

"I think I married for the same reason many people do, Tatsumi-san. I found someone I'd like to spend the rest of my life with. Did you come to ask about that?"

Souichi blushed. "Not really. I just-"

"Was surprised. I understand." Peter sat down across him. "Why are you here?"

That sentence snapped Souichi back to attention. "I…wanted to ask for help."

"Help for what?"

"I need advice, on how to take care of Morinaga." There, he said it. Souichi could just feel his pride going down a few notches.

"But Morinaga-kun isn't with you anymore, is he?"

Souichi's hands clenched around his mug. "How do you know that?"

"Dad told me."

Oh, right. Peter's father was Dr. Miura. "I want him back."

"Why?"

Souichi stared at Peter in amazement. "What do you mean, why? Why the hell not? He should-stay with me!"

"Tatsumi-san…" Peter looked slightly uncomfortable. "I don't think you understand. Why must he stay with you? If this is only selfishness, it's not doing him a favor."

"But I came after him! I told him I would do better. I won't let it happen again."

"You came after him?"

"Yes, so why doesn't he understand? He always does this to me! He goes away and makes me come after him! How many times is this now? I told him, I don't mind him staying at my side! Why doesn't he understand that I...I want him there?"

* * *

He hadn't realized how loud he'd gotten, or that he'd stood up, but suddenly the children were back. The boy-Yuki, was it?-was glaring at Souichi, while the twins were looking at Peter.

"We heard yelling," one of the girls said.

"It's fine, Millie. Tatsumi-san was just explaining something. Tatsumi-san, these are my children, Yuki, Millie, and Ren."

Yuki crossed his arms. "Don't yell at Dad."

"Yuki," laughed Peter. "I can take care of myself. Have you decided on a movie?"

"Can we have popcorn?" said the other twin, the one who hadn't spoken yet. "We're watching Brave."

"Of course. Tatsumi-san, give me a few minutes."

Watching them interact, Souichi was abruptly reminded of him, Tomoe and Kanako. Yuki kept shooting glances at him, while the twins giggled and whispered to each other. Peter was clearly amused at his son's reactions. Peter sent them on their way with a small bowl of popcorn each, and they scampered off, still looking worried.

"Sorry about that." Peter said. He seemed more relaxed now. "Especially for Yuki. I'm not sure why he insists on thinking I'm a wimp."

Souichi snorted into his coffee. He could give him a few reasons.

"Tatsumi-san, I gave you my address because I did want to help you…keep Morinaga-kun. He seems happier with you. But I couldn't say so explicitly, especially since Morinaga-san was also there at that time. You came a bit too late…a bit too late. I thought you would've come before things came to this."

"So it's my fault then?" Souichi snapped.

"Yes."

Souichi recoiled at the calm reply. "But I came after him. And I didn't want things to end up like this."

Peter regarded him thoughtfully for a long moment. Then he said, "Do you want to hear about why Hiroto and I don't talk to each other anymore?"

Souichi gestured to the living room. "You had kids."

"Not really. We weren't talking to each other long before I got married." The redhead sighed, rumpling his hair. "I don't know if you can pin the blame on just one of us. We were both at fault. If I might make an excuse, I'd say we were kids. But we are also both adults now. Do you have time for a sad story, Tatsumi-san? It's not your story, so please don't make our mistakes, but I think it would help you. Help you both."

Souichi sat up a bit straighter. Would this be like Morinaga's past with Masaki? "I'm not going anywhere."

Peter only nodded, and began.

* * *

I was born and raised in Canada, in the part called Montreal. My father was Japanese and my mother was Canadian. I stayed there with my family until I was twelve, then we moved to Japan. I was in middle school, my older sister was in high school.

The move was easier on my sister than it was for me. We spoke good Japanese, but people spoke in the Kansai dialect, which we weren't taught. Additionally, I was small and had red hair. I was very obviously a foreigner. People stared at me as I passed, and my classmates made fun of my Japanese. My sister, who had Japanese looks, didn't get teased as often.

One thing I could always do was play music. I retreated into music then- I joined the orchestra club. I made a few friends in the club, in the classroom, and I seemed to be doing fine. The bullies tapered off, tired of teasing someone who would not react.

I started noticing Yamaguchi Hiroto in the beginning of my second year of middle school. He was also in the orchestra club, a violin player, while I played the piano. He never spoke much, but I knew that he was in the same year as I was. We weren't classmates, nor friends, though we were in the same club.

Mostly, I noticed him because of his anger.

He always seemed to be angry-and not in the obvious way. He looked calm, and never raised his voice, but when he played his violin, the music revealed his emotions. I found myself wincing every time he played-he wasn't terrible, just average, and I thought that he could be better. Especially if he stopped being so angry.

I've heard that he was in school because of a music scholarship-as long as he was in the club, he could keep studying. It was his father who set up the arrangement. I think I knew, even then, that he hated that arrangement.

But in the end, it didn't really affect me. I had my life while he had his.

* * *

The very first time I had what you'd call a proper encounter with Yama was during the last week of my second year of middle school. I had just finished my exams, and was going to hide in the orchestra room until the school closed. I really didn't want to go back home, where my parents would ask me how I did.

I opened the door to find two male students, half-naked, kissing by the piano. One of them was Yama.

I retreated from the room quickly. I may have blushed or mumbled an apology-I don't remember. I only remembered being painfully embarrassed.

I didn't really have a problem with gays; it was just that I never really knew one. And I've never seen a pair of guys kissing, either. The image was burned into my brain.

I didn't speak of the incident to anyone-who could I tell? The whole summer came and went without us seeing each other again, and I began to think that perhaps he forgot about it. I certainly tried to.

But it seemed that Fate wouldn't let me. He became my classmate in my final year of middle school. Worse still, he was my seatmate.

* * *

I knew things weren't going to go well when he spoke to me the first time, because what he said was, "So who are ya gonna tell?"

Apparently he hadn't forgotten me. It must have been my hair-he saw me as I left.

"Nobody," I said quickly.

You'll laugh, but I got most of my growth in high school. In middle school I only came up to Yama's shoulder. He looked angry enough to hit me, and I was scared.

"Ya sure?" he said suspiciously.

"Yeah. I don't even know that other guy."

"He graduated already."

He was making out with an upperclassman?

"Oh. Are you really…" I trailed off. "You swing that way?"

He snorted. "Don't worry, ya ain't my type."

I think I blushed. "That's not it. I mean, well, you weren't forced to it?"

He stared at me. "And what is that supposed to mean? I could've beaten him up if he tried anything I didn't like."

"Good for you."

"Ya really don't care, do ya?" he asked me, seemingly surprised.

"Not really. I mean, in Canada, that's where I'm from, gay marriage is legal, so…but! That's the first time I walked in on someone when they were-uh, I'm sorry. I'll learn to knock the next time."

Yama turned back to his schoolwork. "Canada, huh?" I heard him whisper, but that was all he said.

* * *

From that moment Yama and I became closer. We weren't friends, exactly, but he hung out with me often. Sometimes he would tell me about his boyfriends-he seemed to go through them rather fast. I think he did it mostly to scare me away from his company, but I mean what I said: I didn't care if he was gay.

He never told me much about himself, but I could see that him being gay wasn't as big of a secret as Yama thought. There were a few who knew, a few who suspected. But overall he was careful with who he was with.

But he never seemed to like any of them. Not really.

I knew that he never invited anyone over to his house, and I knew that he hated music.

"Then why are you in the club?" I asked him, the first time I found out.

"I can't study if I get kicked out."

"Can't you transfer? I'm sure your dad would understand."

He glared at me, and I realized that I said something wrong. "I live alone. My dad's dead."

"Sorry." I didn't ask about his mom. It was obvious that there was no one else.

"Just shut up, Miura."

"Quit being so angry then, and stop taking it out on your music. Your violin's going to snap one day."

"Let it snap. I don't care."

This was Yama: stubborn, cold, apathetic. I sighed, then said, "It's not the violin's fault that your Dad died."

I thought that he was going to punch me, but he only nodded. "I know."

"I'm here if you need to talk, all right?"

"I thought I told ya to shut up. And ya stop pretending to be my friend, givin' me advice."

"Fine." It was obvious that he didn't want my help.

* * *

But he continued playing music, all through high school. We were classmates again during the first year. I started to have him over at my house. Most of my friends have been there, but Yama never came when there were other people, my family included.

Which was why I was absolutely dumbfounded to find him shivering on my doorstep in the middle of the second high school winter break. He was obviously wet. He glared at me when I opened the door.

"F-F-Finally! D-D-D-Do you k-know h-h-how l-long I've b-b-been here?"

I grabbed him and shoved him inside. By this time I had hit my growth spurt and stood a head taller than Yama. "It's three in the morning. What were you doing outside? Did you roll around in the snow?"

"V-Very f-funny."

I sighed. "Go take a hot shower. I'll bring you clothes and a towel."

Later, he told me the story. Apparently, his latest lover had been a scumbag who ratted on his landlady that he was gay. His landlady kicked him out by throwing all his belongings in the snow at two in the morning. He didn't know what to do, and no one else was willing to take him in.

"Where's yer family?" he asked me. He was relieved, I could see, that we were alone.

"Ski trip."

"Why aren't ya with them?"

"I twisted my ankle the day after school let out. I didn't feel like being there and not skiing."

"Are ya all right?"

I was surprised at his concern. Usually he didn't care. "I'm fine. I can walk around. But what about you?"

"I dunno. I guess I'll look for an apartment in the morning."

"You can stay here until you do," I offered. "Don't rush. Where are your things?"

"Wet. Didn't bother bringing them here."

I knew that he didn't appreciate pity. I searched for something to say. "Go to sleep, Yama. I'll help you find an apartment in the morning."

"Ya that eager to throw me out?" he smirked, but I could see that he really wondered.

"Well, I don't think you'd appreciate being babied. Do you want to stay? You know you can."

Yama looked at me with that strange expression again. "Nah, don't wanna bother ya."

* * *

When Yama was asleep, I went out, drove to his apartment, and got his things. He was right-most of them were wet, but I loaded everything I could into the car (the only thing that couldn't fit was the stove and the washing machine). I washed his clothes, laid out his school-books to dry, and fell asleep until noon.

I woke up when Yama shook me.

"Why did ya do it?"

"Good morning." I mumbled, then tried to go back to sleep.

"How did ya get my things?!"

"I drove."

"Yer not licensed to drive." He sounded angry. "Ya could've been arrested. You just hurt yer ankle. And how did ya get my things?"

I groaned in frustration. "Yama, please, not so early in the morning! I drove over there and no one saw me because it was three in the morning. Anyway, I look older than my age. I woke up your landlady and asked for your things-she seemed glad to get rid of them. I couldn't fit your washing machine and your stove so I left them, we can get them later. Then I washed your clothes-"

"That's not what I meant. Why did ya do it?"

"I don't know, because they were dirty?"

He hit me in the shoulder. "Stop joking."

"Because I wanted to?" I suggested with a yawn. "Don't overthink it, Yama, you'll land yourself in a hospital. I really want to sleep."

"She kicked me out because I'm…and yer…"

I stared at him. There was something he wanted to say.

The thing was, Yama really kept to himself for that reason-he didn't want others looking at him with disgust because he was homosexual. But sometimes it slipped out, and sometimes there were consequences. I didn't know if he was used to it or not, but it struck me that maybe the reason he was so angry all the time was because of people like his landlady.

He swallowed. "Thanks."

"Yer welcome," I said, mimicking his Kansai-ben.

* * *

He found an apartment after three days of living with me.

It was strange, but after that, Yama stopped dating people. When I asked, he said that it taught him a lesson on who he went out with. He also seemed…quieter. Less angry.

"You know, I think you're calmer," I said, one day when we were alone in the club room. I had begun to teach him French, just for fun. He said he wanted to go to Canada one day.

"What makes ya say that?"

"You don't abuse your violin anymore."

"Ya spend way too much time listening to my music."

I laughed. "Maybe. But I'm glad, you know. Glad that you're calmer, that is. Maybe you can actually find someone you like."

"Yeah," he muttered, "Maybe."

There was something in the way he said it that was different than usual, but I didn't think about it.

* * *

We kept our friendship all the way to high school. But I wasn't going to study college in Japan. My parents wanted me to study in Canada. My parents were also moving back. My sister was already in college there.

We sold our house before my high school graduation. On the night I left, we had a party, Yama was included, but he seemed sad-I thought it was just because I was leaving.

He insisted in coming with me to Narita-the only one to do so, because my flight was four in the morning. I told him that he didn't need to, but he said he wanted to give me a gift.

I knew Yama well enough to keep quiet until he found an opening for what he wanted to give me. He would be insulted if I refused. So we just talked-about colleges, about courses. I thought he had forgotten his gift, because he didn't talk about it until I was almost ready to leave.

"I think I need to board now," I told him. "Keep in touch, okay?"

Yama smiled. "I don't think I will."

"What?"

He pulled out his gift from his bag and handed it to me. As soon as I touched it, I knew I didn't want it. It was his violin, the one that he had inherited from his father.

"Yama-" I whispered.

"I want ya to have it. I don't want to play anymore."

"But…"

"It would only remind me of ya."

I tried to smile. "Bad memory?"

"I realize that it's sneaky of me to tell ya this now, but I…I'm in love with ya, Peter. I've loved ya since you took me in that winter break."

I stared at him. He wouldn't joke about something like this, and it was just like him to tell me when I couldn't give him a proper answer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yer straight."

The final call for my flight was announced then, and I returned the violin to Yama. I nearly shoved it onto him. "You fool, Yamaguchi Hiroto, You were in love with me for almost two years and didn't tell me?" I raged. "I never figured you'd go for unrequited love. Is that really love you're feeling? You're only thinking about yourself. You won't give me a choice, would you? I'm leaving and this is when you tell me? You spineless _coward_."

He only laughed bitterly. "I guess I am."

I left him. It seemed the right thing to to, at that time.

* * *

When I landed in London for my connecting flight, I tried to contact him. There was nothing. He never responded to any of my emails or my calls.

I found out that he moved out of Osaka. He never had that many friends, so it was easy for him to cut off all contact. I went back one summer to find that he left his apartment.

I moved on. I was still angry at him for what he did. He removed my choices.

I met Nagisa in college. We fell in love and got married. She knows about Yama.

We lived in Canada for three years. Then we moved here, because of my work. I wanted to study the effects of music on therapy, speech therapy in particular. I thought it best to start with a small hospital, and this was my father's hometown. I would've gone alone but Nagisa insisted on coming-she's stubborn that way. I've never expected to find Yama here.

* * *

Tatsumi stared at Peter long after his story was finished. "Does he know that…"

"I'm married? Yes. Yes, he does. It's one of the reasons he avoids me now. He knows he let me go. He knows he was a coward. It hurts him to see me with a family. But it probably convinced him that it was right of him to confess to me like that. For him, I'm straight and unattainable."

"But you could've waited for him!"

"He made it clear that he didn't want to see me again. And I didn't even know where to begin looking." Peter sighed. "But I'm tired of being angry. I think he didn't confess to me sooner not because I was straight, but because I was unreliable. I only ever saw him as a friend, and he knew that. I didn't give him the impression that I was someone that could love him, not the way he wanted me to. But he fell in love with me anyway. I killed him with kindness, Tatsumi-san. I was oblivious to what was in front of me. I don't know if I would've accepted him if he confessed sooner, but he made the decision not to. I think, in the final test, he did not trust me."

"You didn't do anything that…"

"Bad?" Peter supplied. "Maybe not by your definition of bad, Tatsumi-san. And...you're not doing anything bad now, either. But you see, if Morinaga-kun lives with you now, it means more than entrusting his feelings to you. He may be strong enough to withstand emotional pain, but the way he is now, he's going to entrust those living with him with his life. Do you bear him any obligation? If this is a half-assed effort, it would be kinder to let him go. You say you want him to stay with you. But staying with him means something different now. Why do you need him to stay with you, Tatsumi-san? Why?"

"He...doesn't...trust me? Trust me to take care of him?" Souichi said slowly.

"Perhaps...he doesn't know why you're doing so much for him?" suggested Peter.

Souichi found himself getting impatient. "But he has to know that! I didn't fight his parents because of nothing. I didn't take on the teaching job, or take him back, if I...if I...didn't..." He could feel himself getting red. "You're making me say this, you damn stork. He could've just asked me. I would've told him. Or did he think I'll go to Tokyo just for fun?"

"Perhaps he didn't want to argue with you anymore," Peter said. "Yama didn't trust me, Tatsumi-san. Not enough to believe that I will love him. Tell me, Tatsumi-san. Does Morinaga-kun trust _you?"_

* * *

A/N: I think the next chapter will be the last one. And I think that it will take some time, because I have work...and school.

So, what did you think of Peter and Hiroto's story? It's not as dramatic as some yaoi plots out there, but I think that it really does happen. And it's one that I can envision Peter being in. The story is not exactly similar to any of the pairings in the manga. Of course, every story is different.

Peter is my OC, but Hiroto is from the manga. I might not get his character entirely right, but Hiroto was the one who listened to Morinaga when he complained about Souichi, and it made me wonder if he was once in the same situation. I also allowed him to change over the years-the Hiroto now is quite different (but I guess you can see how he can get a bottle of aphrodisiac-infused wine, haha!) He used to be angry and cold, but I think Peter changed him, without Peter realizing it. But I'm not sure that the blame rests on only Peter, or only Hiroto. They didn't work out, and both of them were to blame.

Please don't pelt Peter with bits of popcorn. When I made him appear in the story, I didn't expect that a lot of you wanted to know more about him and Hiroto. I thought people wouldn't notice. But you people did, so I spent a ridiculous amount of time thinking this up-from chapter 7, I believe. I know he's incredibly dense, and sometimes doesn't think about the consequences of his actions, but there's no perfect OC. I don't want to make any of _those. _

Lovely reviewers!

_**Lady tsuru27**_: Peter was expecting Souichi to come sooner for advice, but his pride got in the way. I'm not even sure if Peter believes that they would get back together. You were right on your speculations-yes, that is the test that Souichi failed. It's dangerous to trust your life and feelings to someone you're uncertain of. I'm so happy that you believe this is one of the best updating stories! Nearly at the end though! Thanks for your review!

_**Caitlyn552**_: Sorry, my lovely! Go back up for the translation. Thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: You play basketball? Good for you. I'm not so athletically inclined. And, no, I don't think there's a world where Souichi would say those words. He's simply too stubborn. Maybe you should hit his head with a basketball? Thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: Yeah. But sometimes people get lucky in love! Well, we'll see if Souichi fights more in the next (last?) chapter! Thanks for your review!

_**Guest**_: Let's see if Souichi figures out what he needs to do. I think Peter gave him some food for the thought. If he'd only stop being so stubborn about it...*head desk* but I should keep him in character, right? I would run away from an awfully sappy Souichi. Thanks for your review!

_**FanFicStalker**_: Ask her if I can get an autograph of Iron Man while he guards her. Haha! Hope this chapter was everything you expected, and more! Thanks for your review!

_**Myrskyluoto**_: Sorry, all wrong...but you're right, none of those sound like the stork. I was actually thinking about his story for a long time, because I created Peter as an experiment. Thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: The pink storks are coming! But Peter didn't cheat on anyone. He's so sweet, and I can't torture Hiroto like that! I hope you like their story, although it's sad. Thanks for your review!

_**Vega Nightshade**_: Don't worry, I don't set my fire-breathing rhinoceros on people who leave reviews. I know what you mean. I've taken into consideration your review and I'm attempting to explain why they were acting like that-hurting each other. Simply put, they both don't know how to communicate. And Morinaga's waiting for Souichi to tell him that he cares for him, I think. Which Souichi is dancing around, prattling about how Morinaga ought to know. I had the same feelings during some parts of the manga. Thanks for your review!

_**Britany**_: Peter did like Hiroto, once. But I think they were never more than friends, or so Peter believes, anyway. THank you for saying that you will like it even though it might have a sad ending (You'll soon find out!). Thanks for your review, too!

**Those readers that don't review will get pecked by murderous roosters. Clicky! **

**Seriously. The last chapter might be the end.**


	19. Beginning, From the End

_Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end._ **Closing Time**, _Semisonic_

* * *

Peter was nearly dozing off in his office when he heard the triage nurse page his name. Groaning, he got up, mentally enumerating the ways that he could get Millie and Ren to sleep earlier tonight. Honestly, those kids should be banned from sugar from six pm onwards.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Hiroto waited for him in the hallway of the hospital, driving the thoughts of his children clean from his mind. How completely unexpected. Peter stared at his visitor, uncertain about what to expect. Why was Hiroto here? He hadn't heard from Souichi since that last talk they had in Peter's kitchen.

Had Souichi confronted Hiroto about their past? Asking for justification, for reasons?

But his voice was composed-even pleasant when he approached his old friend. "Hey."

"Hello, Peter." Hiroto returned the smile on Peter's face. "Are you very busy?"

"Not particularly. I'm making my rounds in about an hour. I'm free now. What is it?"

"There's a good restaurant across the street. Want to eat with me?"

"Sure," Peter spoke without thinking. But damn it, he had just realized that he was hungry, and there were worse things in the world than a lunch with Hiroto.

* * *

It turned out that Hiroto knew the owner of the restaurant-the owner let them eat for free. Peter was impressed, and said so. "If this is the way it's going to be, you better take a meal with me every day," Peter commented. "I can't say no to a free lunch."

"Is that how you got all your height?"

"Mmm, taking naps helps too." The redhead glanced at Hiroto, mildly curious at his friend's light mood. But like before, he did not press the reasons why. Hiroto might be a different person now, but Peter did not gain his friendship with him by being overly curious. "If I go to your bar do I get a free drink, too?"

"No," Hiroto replied. "Do I look like a beer dispenser?"

Peter burst out laughing, making everyone in the restaurant stare.

HIroto smiled as well, more conservative. "I mean it, you know."

"Oh, I know. I'm just surprised. I didn't think you knew how to make jokes."

"One can learn." Hiroto sighed, and Peter tensed. "I came to apologize."

"With lunch?" Peter teased, but his eyes were serious. "Apologize for what?"

"For leaving you ten years ago." Hiroto stared at the tabletop, seemingly searching for the words. "I know it was you who got into the plane, but…I wanted to get back at you. At that time I blamed you, because I fell in love with you. I wanted to hurt you, for making me fall in love, for trapping me in a situation...I was so sure that you would reject me. I hated you because of my own assumptions, though it was true that I loved you too. So I left you…I dumped on you my feelings. I didn't give you a chance."

Peter waited a long moment before he replied. "Apology accepted."

"Just like that?"

"Ten years is too long to hold a grudge. I'm wondering what this means, though."

"I'm giving up on you." Hiroto admitted. "I don't see you that way anymore."

"Because I'm married."

"No." Hiroto smiled then, something that Peter didn't think that his friend could do ten years ago. "I never did tell you why my father died."

The red head nodded.

"My father committed suicide after my mother ran off with another man. She never came back, that woman, not even to attend the funeral, not even to take care of me. I think that's when I started to…but you have a family, Peter. A happy one. I'm not going to come between you and your happiness."

Peter's heart clenched in sympathy for his old friend. The worst part of it was that, knowing Hiroto, the wounds would take longer to heal if Peter offered his presence. Peter's comfort, and friendship, would have the opposite effect.

There might come a day, in the future, when Hiroto would come to him, and their friendship could start again-differently than before. For now, Hiroto wanted to keep his distance.

Peter wanted to tell Hiroto that he wanted both their friendship and his family-but that would be selfish of him, wouldn't it? And didn't this whole problem start because of selfishness? Selfishness, and ignorance. They had hurt each other before, and they had destroyed any future they might have had.

It was time to lay down the mistakes of the past. They could not turn back time, but they could allow each other to heal. Peter had his family, but Hiroto…Peter had to believe that Hiroto could find his own happiness.

Peter reached out, and took Hiroto's hand in both of his. He kissed it gently.

Hiroto gasped in surprise, but didn't pull away.

"Be happy, Hiroto. Take care of yourself."

Because this was the last gift he could give Hiroto-acceptance . Acceptance that Hiroto's life would move on, in a different direction.

* * *

Summer ended early that year. Morinaga was glad of it, hoping that the changing weather would help him forget. Tokyo was different, vastly different from Nagoya-their summers hotter, their autumns longer.

The apartment that Kunihiro found them mostly housed old people. Apparently it was built by a nearby hospital, to accommodate the growing number of physically challenged patients. Morinaga was the youngest resident, and he often found himself in the center of attention. All the grannies and the granddaddies in the apartment complex (about half a dozen of them) were treating him like family, an adoptive grandson. To Morinaga, who had been so neglected by most of his family, the attention was a welcome distraction, especially against the pain in his heart.

Morinaga could walk now-sometimes without his wheelchair, especially during short distances. He'd gotten by with a cane. In the morning, when he was still energized from sleep, he could potter around the house without assistance. Even Kunihiro had stopped fretting every time he stepped inside the bathroom alone.

He was recovering. He was back to work for the past month, and was just now able to convince his new co-workers that he wouldn't collapse if they breathed on him wrong. His boss had repeatedly given him consideration for his condition. He was grateful, but-he was so tired of being taken care of. He had been taking care of himself for a long time, and while it was great to be coddled, he could only take so much.

These days he kept himself busy in pharmaceutical research. His arm was healed, so he could type papers and reports without worrying about the twinge in his arm.

He kept in contact with all his friends in Nagoya, even Senpai's siblings, but Souichi himself did not contact him.

* * *

"Masaki-san!"

Masaki Junya straightened from where he'd been wiping the dust from behind the counter. After some training, he'd finally managed to be employed at a local restaurant-as the assistant manager, no less. The restaurant was near Tetsuhiro's workplace, so he came here nearly every lunch.

"Tetsu," Masaki greeted him warmly. "What do you want today?"

"I'm really hungry-the combo meal, please."

"Sure." Masaki turned to go.

Tetsu looked quite startled. "Wait, _you're_ not going to prepare it, are you? You're the assistant manager!"

Masaki frowned. "I don't see how that's relevant, Tetsu-everyone works here. See, the others are busy." And indeed, the other employees were attending to other people. "Besides, you eat my cooking all the time."

"Well, I didn't _pay_ you back then."

Masaki rewarded him with a short laugh. "If it makes you feel better, I can treat you."

"That's favoritism, Masaki-san," Tetsu protested, smiling.

It was good to see him smile again. Since Souichi had left, Tetsu had been silent, more prone to brooding. His sadness was all the more poignant because he was usually so happy-and he had pushed his happiness out the door.

When Masaki asked why, Tetsuhiro's answer had been painfully simple.

"_I don't want to hurt him anymore."_

Masaki knew what he meant, because he felt the same way about Tetsuhiro. For Tetsu's sake, he had to remain friends, though there was a large part of Masaki that wanted to run away from Tetsu. Tetsu forgave him so easily, when Masaki deserved far worse. It was hurting Masaki, how kind Tetsu was. But then it would hurt Tetsu if he disappeared again, so for Tetsu's sake, he had to be his friend. He had to put aside his guilt.

For the same reason that Tetsuhiro sent Souichi away, Masaki should stay with Tetsuhiro. He knew that it would hurt, perhaps like how Souichi was hurting now, but he had to have faith that they could keep moving forward-and then, one day, there would come a day when it wouldn't hurt anymore. When he could actually be happy.

* * *

"So what time did Nii-san come today?" Tetsuhiro asked Masaki when he came back with his food. "Did he already leave?"

Masaki glanced at Tetsu. "What do you mean, Tetsu? He never comes here." Kunihiro's workplace was thirty minutes away.

Now Tetsuhiro looked confused. "But I usually see him on the way out. I though his lunch break was later than mine. He said that he comes here every day. Didn't you see him?"

Masaki felt the blood rushing to his face. _So this is just a repeat of what was happening while I was a bartender? _ He fumed. _Only this time, he's going to act like a stalker? _

It was just like Kunihiro to come here, and watch him, without telling him.

"Uhm…Masaki-san? Is everything all right? You look kinda angry."

Yes, because he had just found out that his first crush was stalking him!

This was precisely the reason why he didn't want to live with Kunihiro!

Masaki wanted to throttle the man. Kunihiro was throwing him for another loop…but right now he had Tetsu to try to reassure. So instead, he gave Tetsuhiro a sunny smile. "I'm all right, Tetsu. What about the food?"

Tetsu, for some reason, was turning pale. "It's…it's alright."

"Good. Excuse me; I have some work in the kitchen." With a knife. And possibly Morinaga Kunihiro as a target.

Tetsuhiro watched him walk away, praying that he wasn't going to be responsible for his older brother's sudden and extremely tragic demise. That smile was simply murderous.

* * *

Masaki finally spotted Kunihiro at around two pm, sitting idly by the door. It was obvious that Kunihiro didn't intend for Masaki to see him, as he was sitting at the very edge of the restaurant, almost in shadow. Masaki crept up behind him.

Kunihiro was craning his neck, as if looking for Masaki.

"Is there anything you'd like to add to your order, _sir?"_ Masaki asked him tersely.

Kunihiro jumped about a mile in the air. When he turned to face Masaki, his face was as pale as Tetsu's had been.

_So they can look like brothers._ All of a sudden Masaki wanted to laugh at the very obvious horror on Kunihiro's face.

"J-Jun!" stuttered Kunihiro.

"Next time," Masaki said, slamming down a tray full of food on Kunihiro's table, "Next time that you want to see me, at least tell me, instead of accidentally finding it out from your little brother."

Kunihiro looked sufficiently chastised. "Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now eat it."

"How much-"

"On the house."

Kunihiro frowned. "But you might lose business."

"Then make sure you pay me. _Next time_."

And there will be a next time. Kunihiro smiled.

* * *

Kunihiro had sent a message that he was going to be home late. Masaki had dropped in earlier, but had to stay in the shop to cover up a co-worker's absence.

Morinaga was getting used to being alone in the apartment. He had to promise not to take baths without anyone else present, of course, and not to cook (he might injure himself if he lost his balance while cooking.

During these times when he was alone, he usually watched TV, or did work. Sometimes he read books (he was becoming a regular at the library). But try as he might, the distractions couldn't stop him from thinking about Senpai. Was he all right? Was he eating well? He hoped so, those cooking lessons should've sunk in at some point. What about his teaching? Was he already teaching? How were his students? Were they difficult?

Was he happy yet?

Morinaga really hoped that he was. Where before, Morinaga had always come back to Souichi when he came after him, this time he couldn't. It was beyond Souichi's ability to take care of someone so physically disabled, and it only hurt him to try, because Souichi's heart was still in the right place. That cycle could only be resolved by taking himself out of the picture.

The hurt look that Souichi gave him, when he'd refused to go with him, still haunted him. Morinaga was sure that Souichi felt betrayed.

"But it was for your own good, wasn't it, Senpai?" Morinaga asked the apartment out loud.

Then the doorbell rang. Morinaga snagged his cane from the edge of the sofa he'd been sitting on. Kunihiro must be back already.

Oh well, at least Masaki-san didn't maim him.

* * *

Morinaga opened the door, then froze in shock. Was he seeing things?

Souichi was standing in the doorway, looking perfectly calm. A hallucination, Morinaga would've assumed, until the hallucination spoke.

"Hello, Morinaga."

The voice, the inflection…was exactly the same. And the face, the body (a little thinner though), it was the same too.

"S-Senpai?" he squeaked. What the…what the hell! "What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting. Let me in," Souichi said bossily, ruling out Morinaga's hopes that this was an impersonator. He acted normal-or what was normal for Souichi.

When Morinaga didn't move, Souichi sighed impatiently, then pushed past him into the apartment. Morinaga noticed dazedly that Souichi didn't bring anything with him. Last time, Souichi had brought a small bag, didn't he? So Souichi must not plan on staying?

Souichi was already halfway to the living room when he turned to look back at him. "Are you just going to stand there catching flies with your open mouth, or are you going to come talk with me?"

Morinaga closed his mouth and turned to follow Souichi. He gave his arm a hard pinch. It hurt a lot, which removed the possibility that this was all a bizarre dream.

_Wait a second. If I can be hurt, what'll happen if Senpai decides to hurt me?_ Morinaga thought frantically. _Maybe I should call someone, Nii-san or Masaki-san, or even one of the grannies next door!_

Souichi was as calm as koalas on eucalyptus trees. There was definitely something wrong! Did the sun rise in the west this morning?! Was the coffee spiked with drugs? What kind of hallucination moved and spoke exactly like the real one?

"Do you have anything to drink?" Souichi asked, then went straight to the kitchen to fish out a canned coffee from the fridge. "Oh, so you still have these. I'll have one, then. Have you eaten dinner?"

Morinaga didn't think that hallucinations drank coffee. "Senpai-what are you doing here?" Morinaga asked again.

"I told you. Visiting." Souichi seemed annoyed that he had to repeat himself. He popped the can open and took a long swallow before adding, "I live nearby."

"You-what?" Okay, so the only explanation left was that Souichi wasn't speaking in Japanese anymore, because Morinaga couldn't understand him. Senpai lived nearby? What? When? Why? What?

"I thought you were only deaf in one ear, idiot," Souichi growled. "I said I live nearby. I got a job as a temporary research head here at Tokyo University-the research head is on maternity leave, and none of the morons left could handle the job. Yanagi-sensei is apparently a good friend of hers, so he was supposed to go, but he recommended me in a temporary capacity."

"Temporary?"

"I'll be back in Nagoya after this semester."

Oh. Morinaga looked down, his hoped badly dashed. So he didn't come to Tokyo because of him. It was only for work. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Souichi blushed. Actually _blushed. _"Because I wasn't ready yet!"

"Ready?"

"Stop speaking like a damn parrot, and sit down," Souichi ordered.

Morinaga, meanwhile, was still trying to process everything. So, Souichi was here because he lived here, temporarily,…and to visit. Visit who? Why did he accept the job in the first place?

He sat down on the sofa. Could it be possible…that Souichi was there to visit _him_?

Morinaga waved around the room. "No one else is here to visit, Senpai. But if you'll wait, Nii-san will-"

"No, I don't want to see him," Souichi said quickly. "I came because I knew you were alone."

Morinaga's eyebrows furrowed together. "How did you? Were you watching this apartment?"

"NO! I just-happened to-happened to be free, that's all! And it was just coincidence that no one else is here!"

Souichi was bright red, so it was obvious he was lying. Morinaga sighed.

_Oh Senpai,_ he thought sadly, _How can I stop falling in love with you?_

Souichi's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

Did he talk out loud? "Nothing, Senpai. I'm just…surprised."

Souichi agreed to that with a snort. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

An akward silence fell, with Morinaga mentally recounting the reasons why he shouldn't reach out and grab Souichi and crush him to his chest. They had mutually agreed not to be with each other anymore…

Didn't they?

"Okay, so, why did you want to visit, Senpai?" Morinaga asked, attempting to end the visit quickly. Now that he was getting over his shock, he felt like he first did in the days after Souichi returned to Nagoya-like he had an open wound in his chest. Every time he thought about Senpai, he felt like there was something poking around in that wound, making it hurt more when it should already have healed.

Right now, he felt like he was bleeding again.

* * *

Souichi watched Morinaga carefully, taken aback when he saw the agony on the other's face. It looked like talking to Souichi was killing him from the inside, but Morinaga was smiling.

He wanted to shake Morinaga until the younger man revealed his true feelings. Did he think that Souichi would think less of him if he did? Morinaga always, always tried so hard to pass of as the stronger one. When he fell in love with Souichi, Morinaga never let him know if Souichi's actions were already hurting him. And Souichi must have hurt him so often that Morinaga could automatically smile through it. Souichi felt like a criminal.

_But isn't that why I'm here?_

Souichi bit his lip. Now that he was here, it was harder to get the words out. Harder than he realized. He didn't want to hurt Morinaga anymore, but…

So he focused on Morinaga, instead. "Your arm has healed."

"Yes."

"And you're not in a wheelchair."

"Oh, I usually use a cane these days. I use the wheelchair when I'm at work, though."

Souichi nodded absently, sipping his canned coffee. (Okay, so he technically stole it from Kunihiro and Morinaga's fridge but damn it, Morinaga looked as if he was too stunned to offer him anything, and he was thirsty.) "I know," he said.

"You know?"

Souichi felt his face warm up. "Kanako and Tomoe told me."

Morinaga looked even more confused. "Wait, they told you about me? Why? And they never mentioned this? They never told me how you were-only that you were fine. I didn't even know that you started working in here."

"I asked them not to tell you."

"Why?" was Morinaga's reply.

"Why the hell not? You were in an accident! I had to know if you were okay without me!"

"No, that's not it," Morinaga said patiently. "I mean…why did you tell them not to tell me?"

"I didn't want you to know. And before you ask why again-" he held up a hand to forestall Morinaga's question- "I wanted to be the one to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Well…" screw it, Souichi thought he could stall before he got to this point, but Morinaga was looking at him so expectantly- "Well, I thought that…I mean…"

"Yes?" Morinaga prompted, his eyes intent on Souichi's face.

"Stop-looking at me like that!" snarled Souichi. It was really embarrassing! Why was Morinaga looking at him with such hope in his eyes?

"Where else am I supposed to look?!"

"Look at the floor! This is hard enough without you giving me the puppy eyes!"

"Senpai, I don't really know what you mean-"

"The floor!"

Morinaga sighed and complied. It was obvious that Morinaga thought it was ridiculous.

Souichi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Now that Morinaga's eyes weren't on him anymore…"When I go back to Nagoya, would you consider coming back with me?"

Morinaga's head shot up. "S-Senpai?"

"You don't have to decide now," Souichi went on. "But please think about it. We're rebuilding the old house-I asked for help from Dad and Tomoe-and it's under way. I've asked them to add the bars there, so we won't have to worry about finding an apartment when we built a house from scratch. It'll look just like the old one, only with the bars, of course. The land is actually still ours. By the end of the semester the house should be-"

"Senpai!" Morinaga shouted, standing up. "Why are you doing this? I-"

"I was the reason why the house was burned down, of course I want to rebuild it!"

"Why do you want me back? I wanted to-to forget you already!" Morinaga yelled, with a hitch in his throat. "Don't you realize that it's hard to take care of me the way I am now? I can't-I can't continue to interrupt your life! You don't have any obligation to me-the accident wasn't your fault, and I'm _happy _here. I'm trying to forget you."

"Well, I don't want that!" Souichi flared up. "I want you to stay with me, no matter what it means! When you're not there, everything's so…dull and lifeless. I can't eat without remembering you in the kitchen. I can't listen to music without remembering yours. I can't sleep at night without having at least one dream of you, and do you know how many sleepless nights that cost me? Oh, you really are an idiot! I lose sleep just worrying about whether you eat on time or not! I think about whether you're…you're happy, if you're miserable, if I hurt you…and I don't know if I apologized enough. I never did tell you. I wanted to say sorry, but then you went and came to live with _Kunihiro and Masaki!_ Kami, do you know how much I wanted to ship the pair of them to Mars! Masaki especially-I don't care if he's in pieces when he gets there, he cannot get close to you! Only I'm the one who can do that!"

Was he still making sense? Souichi didn't know. But it felt good to let that out of his chest.

"When you're with me, I feel-safe. And I see you being so kind to others, even if they hurt you-can't you just keep a little concern for yourself? I hurt…it hurts me when I see you hurt!"

Morinaga was staring at him. "Senpai, that sounds a lot like you actually love me. Is that a confession?"

Souichi stopped moving. This was it, wasn't it? He could almost see Peter hovering behind him, whispering in his ear: _"Why do you want him, Tatsumi-san?"_

In his mind's eye, too, he could see Peter and Hiroto, something that could've been, but also something that fell apart because of words that they did not say.

"_Don't make our mistakes."_

"And what if it is?" Souichi said stiffly. Since Morinaga wasn't looking at the floor, Souichi had to take his turn-the floor had an intensely fascinating pattern. Fascinating. Fascinating. He just couldn't bear to see the look on Morinaga's face.

"It won't be the same, you know," Morinaga whispered. "I'm so different now. I can't offer you anything."

"I still want you. I don't want anything back. And…I…I'm not perfect. I know that we have to make adjustments…but I want you to stay with me. If you help me to help you…we didn't before. Tell me what you need, so I don't…hurt you anymore."

"And If I don't go?" A whisper that was softer still.

Souichi cringed, He had hoped that they wouldn't have to discuss this, but…"Then I'll leave you alone. I already told you that I want you. You can trust me. But If you don't want to go, if you..d-don't want to c-come, then I must have done something to destroy your trust in me, something unforgivable. I know I deserve it…though I hope that you think about it before you decide, yes or no. But if you think you can't trust me anymore, we'll just keep on hurting each other, and…and there will be no point in continuing this. Not without that."

He had been looking so intently at the floor that he was taken aback when Morinaga crushed him in a bear hug. Souichi grunted, trying to recapture the air that whooshed out of his lungs. "Mori-"

"Senpai, when are you _ever_ going to figure out that all I want is you? All along…" Morinaga breathed on his ear, "All along, I was only worried about you. I wondered why you wanted to keep me. I trust you. I forgive you. I just don't have the right to completely disrupt your life-"

"What am I, a kid? You said you trust me-trust me on this one. This is the right decision. It's my choice what I want. _I _ decided this! Kami, I've even asked the doctors at the hospital pointers on how to take care of you! That damn stork was _smiling_ the whole time, I wanted to punch his lights out! Don't you dare try to take this decision from me, or I'll…I'll…" Souichi fumbled for words. "Don't try to stop me. I know it's not going to be easy! I didn't come to this decision blind! Or do you think that only idiots can think for me?"

"I don't want to hurt you." It was the last resistance.

"Well, you're hurting me more by staying away from me. Aren't you hurt too?" Souichi asked suspiciously. If Morinaga didn't feel the same anymore-he'd be utterly mortified. He'd been doing nothing but humiliating himself for the past half hour.

Morinaga bent his head, so his face was hidden in Souichi's hair. Souichi felt Morinaga's kisses. "I missed you every day. I love you, Senpai."

Souichi flushed from neck to hairline. "Shut up."

* * *

_Two months later_

Souichi flopped down on the sofa. He heard the door close.

"That was the last of the boxes." Morinaga reported, coming to sit by him.

"We'll unpack tomorrow," Souichi declared. "I refuse to go anywhere."

Moving day was such a pain-literally. Souichi groaned, stretching. He felt like one giant bruise.

They had been waiting for this day for a long time. It was only last week that the house had been completed-in fact, it still smelled strongly of paint. (The architect had been Miura Nagisa, Peter's wife. She warned Souichi not to smoke cigarettes in the house for a while, because that would cause in _another_ accidental fire.) Most of the furniture from their old apartment was moved into the house.

"It looks just like the old one," Morinaga said, echoing Souihci's thoughts.

"Yeah. Nagisa-san designed it from the pictures we gave her, and the descriptions, since all the house blueprints were destroyed." Souichi was thinkig that he should invite his family over soon.

"Do you want me to give you a massage?" Morinaga suggested playfully. "It's your own fault for not allowing me to carry anything."

"Shut up. I told you, you can't." Fatigue was setting in. And the hot shower he just had was making him sleepy. "A massage sounds good."

"What about food?"

"Massage first."

"Fine, then." Morinaga reached out and took off Souichi's shirt.

"What are you doing?!" yelped Souichi, realizing Morinaga's intentions a bit too late.

"Senpai, I can't give you a massage through your shirt-"

"What is this, an erotic massage?" Souichi screamed as Morinaga took off his pants as well. " Why are you laughing, idiot?!"

"I missed you," Morinaga said simply. "We haven't done it for some time."

"I thought you were giving me a massage…" Souichi moaned as Morinaga kissed him deeply. "Idiot," he added when he could breathe again.

It had been two months since that night in Tokyo. Kunihiro had not been pleased when Morinaga told him that he was going back with Souichi at the end of the semester, but there was nothing that he could do. Kunihiro made Souichi swear that if he neglected Morinaga again, Kunihiro would step in and this time, Souichi couldn't take him back.

It cost almost nothing to give that promise, since it was what Souichi wanted, as well. He still hadn't gotten over the last time.

Now Morinaga was teasing him, licking one nipple, and then the other. Feather-light kisses traced their way down his abdomen.

Souichi arched into the touch. He would probably stab himself in the eye before admitting it, but he wanted this too. He could feel the desire raging through him.

Morinaga's touch was soothing. His hands kneaded the knots out of his muscles-his arms, his thighs, his back. Every once in a while Morinaga would reach up to tenderly press a kiss on the body part nearest.

He was actually good at giving massages. Souichi wondered where he'd gotten the practice.

Now Morinaga was sucking at his cock, tasting the droplets that formed at the tip. His tongue lapped at the organ expertly, knowing precisely just how to make Souichi squirm. The warm wetness covered his cock completely, again and again.

_Cruel bastard. _Already he was hard from Morinaga's attentions-painfully so.

Souichi bit back a groan, but he couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips when something cold and wet pressed at his entrance. "What was that?!"

"Shh, Senpai, it's only lube," Morinaga murmured. "We haven't done it in a while, I don't want to hurt you."

Morinaga continued to suck him off, the sensation making Souichi cry out a few times. Morinaga was exceedingly gentle.

"Are you alright?" Morinaga asked him again and again. Two fingers were in, and Souichi was feeling stretched. It _had_ been some time.

"Quit the questions," Souichi snapped. "Just-"

Morinaga's fingers brushed against his prostrate, and Souichi cried out. When Souichi could look at him again, he saw that Morinaga was smiling.

Smugly.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Souichi ground out. His kouhai's expression didn't even flicker.

Morinaga was already bare. He removed his fingers, and Souichi bucked his hips, desperate to take back that pleasurable feeling. But Morinaga was sliding into him now, a slow, measured pace that left Souichi impatient for more. Morinaga had prepared him well.

"Ready?" Morinaga whispered.

"Go," Souichi replied, holding on to Morinaga's arms with bruising force.

And Morinaga began to move, thrusting gently at first, until Souichi told him to "Pick up the pace, idiot." Then Morinaga thrust harder, hitting Souichi's prostrate every time, leaving Souichi as a moaning mess with Morinaga's name half-articulated on his lips.

He came hard, his cum spilling onto their stomach. He was gasping, falling back, then Morinaga came too, filling him with warmth.

* * *

Kanako had been ecstatic when he told her that the plan worked. Tomoe said that he knew it all along. It had been hard enough for Tomoe and Kanako to keep secrets from Morinaga, but Souichi hadn't wanted to tell him until he was sure that everything was under way.

Peter had offered his wife's services shortly after Souichi told him his plans. Back then, Souichi had no idea where to find anyone willing to design a house for a disabled person, but Nagisa had been excellent. Souichi had already begun to teach,and Morinaga was accepted into the Nagoya branch of S Pharmaceuticals.

The crisis was over. There was still that threat hanging over their heads-there were still so many ways they could be apart. If they broke up again, and Morinaga didn't take Souichi back, they would be apart for good. Nothing would ever be the same, but at least they were together in the here and now. Souichi was trying, and Morinaga was trying too.

Sometimes they had good days-days when Morinaga could climb up the stairs without getting dizzy, Souichi finally making his first truly edible meal, Tomoe chatting with both of them through the internet. They had their bad days, when they quarreled, or Kunihiro would call and accidentally speak to Souichi. No matter. It was normal.

And now, at last, they were alone in a house together. A house they could call their own. Morinaga had insisted on helping pay for the construction of the house, since he was living in it as well.

Then the combination of his fatigue and sex must have made him fall asleep for a while. When Souichi woke up, Morinaga was awake, and looking at him speculatively.

"What?" he slurred sleepily, knowing Morinaga well enough to know that he wanted something.

"You know, Senpai-this house really is too big if there's only the two of us."

"Yeah? Well Kanako's at school and Tomoe's in America. Of course it's big for just two people."

"Yes, well, so…do you think we could adopt?"

* * *

A/N: So, the story has ended, Finished.

I really can't see Souichi telling Morinaga that he loves him-at least, not in this kind of situation. Not directly, or on those three little words. But I guess he could articulate it in other ways? I apologize to those who were expected a huge happy ending. I think that the thought of them falling sobbing into each other's arms like lunatic drama actors gives me the shivers.

I always try to base my outcomes on reality. I don't think Morinaga would've come with Souichi if they hadn't had that condition-that if they break up a second time, and Morinaga still runs away, they won't be together anymore. It gives them both a chance to prove that they love and trust each other-but it might seem a bit harsh for some.

The other pairings were given closure as well. Peter and Hiroto, at least. Kunihiro and Masaki...well, I guess you can say they might have a beginning.

The bits of randomness are all my fault. Blame it on my unicorn-it stabs people. Oh, and blame Souichi too.

A few reviewers told me that they would like the story even if it has a sad ending. I'm unbelievably gratified. Of course I understand that we all want a happy ending...but still, there will be people who say that it's okay otherwise.

Darling reviewers:

_**Myrskyluoto**_: Seriously? I owned Tyrant back in the Ice age? But...But...but I didn't even get to enjoy my period of ownership! And so here I am, reduced to writing fics! Man, being only 4000 years old can be a pain... Thanks for your review!

_**Bloodyrose23**_: Their story is a sad one, I know, but I think that Hiroto can be happy again, too. Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: Yes, unfortunately...but I hope that the ending made you happy, at least. Thanks for your review!

_**Lady tsuru**_: I didn't want to overshadow the main story. I wanted to elaborate it a bit more, but I was afraid that the side-story would become the focus somehow. I agree that there's really no villain there, nor did I want to cast one, and I'm happy you think Peter reacted as well as he could. Thanks for your review!

_**FanficStalker**_: After this, your fangirl won't have much reason to be chained. Haha. Yes, Peter and Hiroto's story is sad-hopefully this chapter would heal them both a little. Thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: Hiroto means that he regretted meeting Peter in the first place. But don't worry, I think it was said in the heat of the moment, I honestly think Hiroto was better off after meeting Peter, you know. And I think Hiroto knows that, too. Thanks for your review!

_**Maria Krause**_: I'm sure that the rooster is in Heaven. With the nyan cats. Thanks for your review!

_**Swt Cutie**_: Souichi would rather shoot himself in the foot than give up his stubbornness. But he did say it...in so many words, I guess. I also tried to take your review into consideration when Hiroto tried to explain why he won't got after Peter anymore. Thanks for your review!

_**crimZonvampire**_: Your name seemed familiar at first, so I clicked on it. Hello, fellow tyrant writer! I have read your story (before I wrote this fic!) and am looking forward to more. Hope you update soon! thank you for your review!

_**Britany**_: Nope, not exactly a sad ending. They did get back together, yay! thanks for your review!

**As a bonus, I will be posting a set of omakes the next chapter. They will be short, and funny, hopefully. My sense of humor manifests itself in this chapter more than any other. They will have a varied timelines. **

**Additionally, aside from the usual reviews you lovely readers give me, I would welcome any and all questions about the story itself. If there are any points that are not clear-or anything else, really-please feel free to ask. You can even ask about me, but please don't ask me for money or to do your homework for you. In either way, you'd have a disaster at your hands. **

**Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following this story. I always told you lovely readers to wait until the last chapter to decide if this story is "good", "the best", or "a favorite". But if you read the story all the way to the end, I'm already happy. **

**I hope that this chapter made you as happy as it did me. I hoped that parts of it made you laugh. **

**Clicky, or the rampaging, people-stabbing unicorns will break through your door.**


	20. What Happens After

A/N: I know it's been a murderously long time. I have been out on a deadline/drayon-slaying mission. My army of bloodthirsty unicorns tried to help me, but they can only take soooo much... *wails*

Disclaimer: After these omakes, you can't catch me anymooore! haha.

* * *

-Spider Sense-

* * *

"Senpai, what time will Soujin-san arrive?"

Souichi glanced at his kouhai, who was currently making curry for lunch. "What?"

"I said, what time will-"

"No, scratch that, why did you say he was coming?"

Morinaga looked confused. "Uhm, because he told us in an email?"

"What? No! When was this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Souichi whipped out his phone, where there was a new message. Sure enough, it was from his father.

_To: Souichi; Tetsuhiro_

_From: Dad (Soujin)_

_Message: I'll be coming to see the new house. I'll arrive in Japan by 11AM, but don't bother to fetch me. I can find my way on my own. _

"Find his way on his own?!" shrieked Souichi. "Since when does my father have a sense of direction?"

"Wait, Senpai-"

Too late. Souichi already grabbed his umbrella and went out into the pouring rain. For it was raining, one of the last autumn storms before winter.

It had been two months since they moved back to Nagoya. Kanako and Tomoe had already seen the house, so naturally, naturally, it was Soujin's turn.

_Honestly, why does everyone in my family barge in other people's houses without warning me sooner?!_ Souichi thought furiously, conveniently forgetting that a) He had done it to Morinaga when he visited him in Tokyo, and 2) Soujin did warn him.

Never mind that. The last time his father visited, he had managed to fall into a drain. Souichi didn't know how "grand" his father's entrance would be when it was raining, but it wasn't going to be pretty.

* * *

Half an hour later, he had circled every street around their house with no sign of their father. He was soaking wet, hungry and becoming increasingly short-tempered. Additionally, he realized that he had forgotten his phone, so there was no way to call Soujin and ask where he was.

He gave it another fifteen minutes before he gave up. At the very least he needed to change his clothes before he got pneumonia, so he trudged his way home wearily, cursing under his breath.

"Senpai!"

Souichi looked up to see Soujin and Morinaga sitting on the couch, nursing hot cups of coffee. His mouth fell open.

"When did you get here?" snarled Souichi. Where was the _justice_ in this world? While he had been out there getting wet, Souijin was here sipping coffee?

"Half an hour ago," Soujin responded calmly. "Why are you all wet, Souichi? Get changed before you catch a cold!"

Morinaga was already there with a huge towel. "Are you all right?" Morinaga whispered as he tenderly patted Souichi's hair dry. "Why don't you go take a hot shower so you don't get sick? We haven't eaten yet because we were waiting for you."

Souichi was slightly mollified by the younger man's careful attention, but what he said was, "Stupid. I'm getting you wet too."

Morinaga shrugged, and Souichi walked away to the bathroom. By the time he got back, nothing much had changed, except that his father and Morinaga were now at the dinner table.

"You've done good work on the house," Soujin said as he sat down. "I was just telling Morinaga-kun how glad I am that he's fine after the accident."

"Look at what Soujin-san got me, Senpai," Morinaga said excitedly. "He said that keeping pets is good for you."

"Well, that depends on the kind of pet but-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" Souichi screamed as Morinaga put a spider on the table. Granted that the spider was in a glass box, but it was as big as his hand!

"It's a Brazilian Black Tarantula," Soujin replied happily. "Don't worry, they're tame. And easy to keep too."

"I don't care if it's named the Australian Rainbow! Take it back! I'm not keeping a spider hairy enough to use a comb!"

"I didn't know you were scared of spiders, Senpai," Morinaga said.

"I don't know why you aren't! Don't you know those things are poisonous?"

"I'll keep it in the glass box, Senpai. You know, I think it already likes me," Morinaga confided, looking as content as Soujin.

That confirmed it. Morinaga was insane. Or he was an alien.

Souichi glared at his father. "Why did you give him a bug as a pet? You know I don't like spiders!"

Soujin seemed offended. "It isn't a bug, Souichi, it's an arachnid. And I thought that you were already over that phobia?"

"I'm not scared!"

"Come and eat, Senpai," coaxed Morinaga.

"I'm not eating at a table with a bug on it!"

"I said it's not a bug." This came from Soujin.

"I'll just put him away," Morinaga sighed. He stood up to put the spider in his room (Now there was a reason never to come into Morinaga's room again). Souichi recoiled as he went past, his elbow knocking into Morinaga.

Then disaster struck. Morinaga, still slightly unsteady on his feet, stumbled, and the glass box flew out of his hand. The spider bounced out of the box and scuttled away at a speed that was amazing given its size.

* * *

Souichi had already scrambled to a chair and was standing on it even before the glass box landed on the floor. "I just knew that something like this would happen! You better catch that thing!"

"Don't be silly, Souichi, and get down from there. It just ate some crickets, so it won't bite."

Right now Souichi was feeling _like_ a cricket in a glass box. He didn't get down as Soujin and Morinaga walked around, looking for the tarantula that had already disappeared somewhere in the kitchen.

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Two seconds later, the power in the house went out.

Someone Up There must hate him today, Souichi thought furiously. First rain, then spiders, and now this!

"Senpai? Soujin-san? Are you all right?" Morinaga's voice issued from the darkness. It was raining so hard outside that even the house was dusky, even if it was still midafternoon.

"Yes. What about you?" Soujin answered.

"I'm fine. Senpai, can you grab the flashlight from under the sink?"

"I'm not leaving the chair! What if I step on it?!" Even as he said it, a grisly image of a squashed spider popped into Souchi's imagination. No, wait a second…knowing his luck, it would manage to bite him before he squashed it with his bare foot.

"Just…try to shuffle your foot around? Before you put weight on it?"

"NO!"

"Come on Senpai, I'd do it myself but I might fall down again. And Soujin-san doesn't know where the flashlight is."

There was a long pause, in which Souichi weighed all the ways he could get out of Morinaga's request. The odds weren't looking good. Out of the three of them, he was the one nearest to the sink.

"If I find that spider I am going to kill it," muttered Souichi as he carefully got out of the chair. He took a lot of time making sure that his way was clear before he crouched down to open the closet under the sink.

This was all Morinaga's fault. This was all Soujin's fault. Who the fuck decides to give an effing tarantula as a pet? Soujin was going to have to pass inspection before Souichi let him through the threshold of the house again.

Were his hands shaking? It wasn't logical to be scared of the closet because there was no way that the stupid bug could've gotten in the closet. It had been closed all this time.

Souichi opened the flashlight as soon as his hands closed around it. He quickly snagged the extra flashlight and went to find Morinaga and his father. His father was near the doors, while Morinaga was sitting on the stairs. Mercifully, none of them had squashed a spider-though it also meant that the spider was still missing.

"Thanks, Senpai," Morinaga said, accepting the flashlight. "I don't think we can look for the spider anymore. It's too dark."

"What? No, keep looking! It can't have gotten far!" There was definite panic in Souichi's voice.

"I told you, Souichi, Brazilian Blacks aren't aggressive. I'm sure that you'll find it when the power goes back," Soujin retorted. "And you can't keep standing on a chair for the rest of your natural life."

Souichi glared at his father. "You're staying here until we find it."

"All right," Soujin agreed.

"We can light some candles," Morinaga said enthusiastically, "and we can eat. I bet we're all hungry. It'll be like a candle-lit lunch."

"How can you think of eating at a time like this?" Souichi asked Morinaga in disbelief.

"You mean at lunch-time?"

Souchi smacked him lightly. "You know what I mean."

"We won't accomplish anything just waiting, and we might as well eat," Morinaga said patiently. "I'll find it for you, Senpai, if Soujin-san can't. Just keep your doors locked, okay, Senpai?"

"Stupid," Souchi muttered. "How can I let you look for it alone? What if it bites you, or you fall down? We…we better look for it. Together. It'll be faster and…safe."

Soujin and Morinaga were staring at him with their mouths open.

Souichi turned red. "What? Aren't we going to eat?"

* * *

Later, when Morinaga thought about the events of that weekend-when the power was back on and Souichi was in the shower (after a thorough inspection that the spider wasn't in the bathroom), he would remember how, despite Souichi's phobia of spiders, his senpai had not allowed him to search for the spider alone.

And then he would smile.

* * *

Two days later Souichi found the spider while he was folding up socks in the laundry room.

* * *

Omake 1 Done~

* * *

-Omake 2: Freudian Slip-

* * *

Morinaga had always thought that Souichi would be a better person if he handled his temper better.

It wasn't that Morinaga didn't love everything about his Senpai-it was just that…sometimes his reactions were irrational and completely out of proportion. It had gotten him in trouble more than once- the worst was that time when that crazy arsonist burned the Tatsumi home. He had never blamed Senpai for it, but he didn't want a repeat of it.

But there was a time when he thought that Souichi's hot temper was not such a bad thing after all.

* * *

It happened suddenly, as these things usually do. Souichi had wanted a new coat for the winter, and he thought that Morinaga ought to have one as well. They planned a trip to the local mall.

"Do you need a wheelchair?" Souichi asked as they entered the mall. The mall offered free rent of wheelchairs, and Morinaga had his disability card.

Morinaga didn't like to think or act like he still had difficulty keeping his balance. If he was tired, he needed a wheelchair, but usually-

"I can use my cane, Senpai, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Morinaga replied, laughing a little. "You know, there are people who glare at me when I use a wheelchair-I don't look like I can't walk, right? I'd rather not look like it."

Souichi scowled. "They have no right to treat you that way."

Morinaga shrugged. "Like I said-I don't look disabled in any way. I earn my own income and live without a nurse. My mind is intact, and I'm deaf in only one ear."

"That's bad enough," said Souichi tersely.

"No, Senpai. I think I'm very lucky." After all, it could have just as easily gone another way. He could've been permanently incapacitated, or…he could've died.

Souichi softened. "I guess," he mumbled. Souichi clearly realized what he was talking about.

* * *

They went to the men's wear section of the department store. They didn't intend to take long-half an hour at the most, then a dinner at the food court.

Souichi had already selected his coat and was trying to find gloves. Morinaga only wanted the coat. It was unusually crowded for a weekday, so Morinaga decided to wait in one of the benches while Souichi searched for gloves.

"Hey Mister."

Morinaga looked around, slightly surprised. He'd almost been falling asleep…how strange. He wasn't that tired.

There was a kid next to him-about eight or nine years old. He was chunky, and there was a look in his eyes that Morinaga immediately labeled as "mean".

"Mister, why do you have a cane? Are you old?"

"Ah, no. You see, I sometimes have difficulty walking."

"But you don't look like it!"

"I know," Morinaga said, smiling.

Souichi suddenly appeared behind the boy. "Morinaga, what are you doing? Let's go."

"You have the gloves then?"

"Nah, I just remembered that I still have an unused pair at home. Come on and let's eat."

"Excuse me," Morinaga told the boy, using his cane to hoist himself up.

The boy narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you can't walk. You don't even need this at all!" With that, the child kicked Morinaga's cane.

Morinaga crumpled under the sudden loss of support. He tried to catch himself before he hit the floor, but his arms didn't seem to be listening to him.

"Morinaga!" Souichi screamed.

There was a murmur of voices around him. Whispers. Morinaga clenched his teeth. He could hear what they were saying-things like how pitiful he looked, and how helpless, and why couldn't he get up-

So much for not acting disabled. He closed his eyes, trying to get to his feet without bursting into childish tears.

Then Souichi's arms were around him. "Get up," Souichi whispered, almost harshly, making Morinaga open his eyes in shock. Souichi's face was less than an inch from his, and those eyes…

Those eyes were blazing. Souichi set him down on the bench, almost dropping Morinaga again because of his anger.

"Get back to your shopping! Haven't you seen anyone fall down before?" Souichi shouted. People quickly turned around and went back to their purchases, looking ashamed. "And you," he hissed, looking down at the kid in malediction, "Apologize!"

"Moooooommmmmmmmmmyyyyyy!" wailed the boy, sprinting away from Souichi.

Morinaga didn't blame the boy for running away. Morinaga himself would've had exactly the same reaction if the situation were reversed.

Souichi lunged, missing the boy by inches. Morinaga quickly hooked the cane's handle to Souichi's wrist and pulled him back.

"Senpai! Calm down-do you want the guards to throw us out?"

"Oh shut up you idiot! You could've hit your head on the way down! That kid ought to learn some manners!"

"I'm fine, Senpai. Please, calm down. You can't just-"

The boy came back, now dragging along his mother. "That's the one! Mom, they tried to hit me!"

"What?" said the mother, looking outraged. "I don't even hit my son-and now you do? You have no right!"

"Lady, your son kicked my boyfriend's cane-he can't stand without it!"

Morinaga gave a small gasp, unnoticed by Souichi and the mother. Did Senpai just call him-?

The woman went pale. "Ken! Is that true?" she asked her son.

"He's not disabled, Mom!"

Wordlessly, Morinaga reached into his wallet and offered his disability card to the woman. The woman took the card and read it. Her mouth dropped open.

Then she returned the card to Morinaga. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, bowing. "I'm very sorry." She grabbed her son. "Ken, you apologize, too!"

"But-!"

"No buts!"

The boy-Ken-scowled. "Sorry." He said, not looking like he meant it.

"Kentarou," warned his mother.

The boy jumped. "I'm so very sorry! I won't do it again!" he yelped, bowing.

"Ah, that's okay," Morinaga said, feeling embarrassed at all the fuss.

"Hmph," Souichi said with a snort. "If you do it again I'll break this cane over your-"

"Senpai," Morinaga droned tiredly. Both the mother and son looked terrified-Souichi must've looked like he could carry out the threat.

"A-Anyway, we should get going," stuttered the mother. "Again, we apologize."

With a last bow, they left, the mother still hissing furious admonitions to her son as they walked away.

"Damn it," griped Souichi. "Are you all right? Do you need a wheelchair now?"

"No, that's okay," Morinaga hastened to reassure him. Souichi looked like he could've thrashed the kid if he was given half a chance.

"That kind of kid should be put on a leash," commented Souichi. "Can you stand? Let's get out of here."

"Senpai-"

"If you tell me the kid didn't deserve it, so god help me, Morinaga, I'll-"

"Thank you."

Souichi froze. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound came out. He seemed suspicious-Morinaga had never thanked him for standing up for him before. Morinaga kept the soft smile on his face, keeping a safe distance, because if he moved too close to Senpai now he would be tempted to kiss him senseless.

Finally Souichi turned red-a blooming color that started on his cheeks, then spread out all over his face and neck.

"You-you-" Souichi spluttered. "D-Don't catch me off guard like that!" Souichi marched away, still beet red. But he stopped a few paces from Morinaga, waiting to see if Morinaga would follow, unable to look at Morinaga in the face.

What an interesting reaction. Morinaga wondered briefly how Senpai would respond if Morinaga told him that Souichi had called him his boyfriend in the heat of the moment.

* * *

-Omake 2 Finished-

* * *

A/N: Huh. So I said that they were omakes, but they're more like mini-chapters.

Yes, the facts about the Brazilian Black tarantula are accurate. You can google it up so you can see why Souichi was so freaked out. XD

Thank you so much for supporting this story!

One last shoutout to my awesome reviewers:

_**Bloodyrose23**_: They adopt a spider in the end. Haha! I know it's not what Souichi expected! You're welcome, and thanks for your review!

_**Amity33**_: Let's see if the manga has a better ending than I do. You're right, given their personalities, I guess an absolute happily ever after isn't in their cards-more like some discoveries, compromises, to make their relationship work. Thanks for your review!

_**crimZonvampire**_: I'm glad to hear that! I think there aren't enough tyrant writers. Keep writing, girl! Thanks for your review!

_**Myrskyluoto**_: Hmmm...for the last question, yes, he did manage to get out of the house before Kunihiro came. After that emotional blowup, Souichi left at once, to scream out his humiliation into his pillow. as for the other two questions...ah, Souichi?

(Souichi: Well of COURSE I was just expecting him to give me a massage! Do you expect that I allow anyone just to give me an ero-massage? For that matter, where the hell did that idiot learn to do that? You tell me! That kind of touching should be illegal! If he ever attempts it again I swear I'll break his hand! And-)

Okay, Souichi, enough from you. It's obvious that you liked it a bit too much. *laugh *

Yes! I am the devil of cliffhangers! But I am off to think of a new plot now to torture others!

(Souichi: And why the hell would I adopt?! One kid like Morinaga is more than enough! I can just hear that demon Isogai laughing if he hears I adopted a kid with that moron! I'm going to teach Morinaga to keep his ideas to himself!)

My unicorns are imported from the Death Star. Of course they'd be a bit different. XD Thanks for your review!

_**kiriohisagi**_: You review is like sweet caramel chocolates to me! Thanks so much!

_**SwtCutie**_: In the end they adopted a spider. I can still hear Souichi screaming. Haha. I just can't resist torturing him...a bit...okay, a lot. Thanks for your review!

_**FanFicStalker:**_ I know how you feel. But Souichi's stubbornness makes him an interesting character to write, though of course he usually doesn't help the plot any. I swear, I still don't understand how Morinaga can still be patient with must be an alien. Thanks for your review!

_**anon**_: You're welcome! I hope you enjoyed these omakes. Thanks for your review!

**_Guest_**: This story is at its ending, sorry! It does feel like a cliffie, doesn't it? But I think that writing more would destroy the main story-like if you pile too much jenga blocks on top of each other, the whole structure collapses. Anyway that's a different direction to their story...thanks for your review!

_**Bunny-chan2202**_: The closure on Peter and Hiroto is a bit bittersweet...but still, it's for the best, I think. If I think of a good plot for Kunihiro and Masaki I might write it, but it takes me a really long tome to create a story idea! I hoped you enjoyed the omakes as well! thanks for your review!

_**lunallena**_: (love your name, btw!) That really sounds like you read my other stories. I think I ought to delete the others because yes, they aren't as good...but as long as I grow as a writer, right? I love your review, it's in-depth and specific. Thanks so much! I'm happy you enjoyed it.

Well, we've reached the end of the road, everyone. Again, thanks for your support, reviews, comments, suggestions, guesses, randomness and general awesomeness.

Love and peace!


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